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Prevent Summer Brain Drain & Prepare For School With Scholastic

August 17, 2015 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

I received free items as a part of the Scholastic Summer Reading team as compensation for this post.

It is almost time for my girls to go back to school and with that comes the excitement of learning their new teacher, transitioning to a new classroom, seeing friends again and heading back into the soccer season. As you can guess as parents we are also excited about the new opportunities for them and for allowing them to get back into the daily routine that school can bring.

There still are a few weeks left until they have their first day of school and with that in mind, they are busily getting their last reading record totals in for the Scholastic Reading Challenge .

We have read a lot this summer and I thought I would share 5 of them with you in a fun way with 5-word book reviews!

All the Lost Things – Bringing Things Home Benefits Others
No Yeti Yet – Fuzzy, White But Not Expected
Mina’s White Canvas – Get Inside & Create Art
Lego Star Wars: Galactic Freedom Fighters Activity Book – Activities For Any Star Wars Fan
The Big Texas Steakhouse Cookbook – Get Your Steak On Now!

PREVENT THE SUMMER BRAIN DRAIN

The dog days of summer have begun! And with them comes “brain drain” season, when endless summer activities and distractions take the place of reading time. Scholastic’s Maggie McGuire has 5 easy tips for making reading a priority for your child, like setting a weekly minutes goal, reserving special time to read together as a family, and celebrating reading accomplishments. It’s not too late to get your kids reading.

As a parent though I have been spending some time going through all of the Scholastic resources that Fill their website, as there are a ton to get kids ready for the school year. You can learn everything from what to expect during that grade to homework help to even information on school involvement and school life. The resources are based grade by grade and easily accessible to all. If you have never checked this out, you should, as there is a ton of great content there that can help your kids get ready for school like it has helped my daughters too!

I also wanted to make sure you had seen that Energizer is having a great instant win game. Anytime you purchase Energizer batteries you have the ability to enter in a special code in their Energizer Instant Win Game. There is some very cool prizes in this so if you have, or are buying batteries, make it Energizer for your own chance to win!

ABOUT THE ENERGIZER INSTANT WIN GAME

Energizer® and Scholastic are partnering to create the “Power the Possibilities” campaign which gives moms the tools they need to unlock their child’s talents, fuel their ambitions and set them up for future success. Parents can buy any specially marked pack of Energizer® brand batteries to scratch for a chance to win one of thousands of prizes that will power discovery and learning.

Prizes include a family trip to New York City, a Scholastic Study Corner Makeover, a tablet with Scholastic apps, a library of Scholastic books and more! Everyone who plays can also download free digital stories for their family.

FIND OUT MORE

Learn more about the Energizer® Instant Win Game

Follow @Scholastic on Twitter

Like the Energizer® Bunny on Facebook

#SummerReading

PREVENT THE SUMMER BRAIN DRAIN

YouTube link:

http://bit.ly/SummerBrainDrain

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SCHOLASTIC READING RESOURCES

Scholastic has joined together with ENERGIZER® to power the 2015 Summer Reading Challenge and encourage families to find innovative ways to discover the power and joy of reading. It’s not too late to take part! Now through September 4^th, visit Scholastic.com/Summer. Click the links below for a sampling of the fun resources you’ll find with Scholastic:

Unlock Original Short Stories from favorite Scholastic authors!

Find Parenting Resources including Summer Reading printables, activity sheets, booklists and more!

Play the Innovation Machine Game – a fun and creative writing game and contest!

Visit “Videos in the Stacks” to receive reading tips for parents from Scholastic’s Maggie McGuire!

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Surviving Back To School Shopping #dadchat

August 8, 2014 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Surviving Back To School Shopping

If you go shopping this time of year you’ll most likely see a swarm of moms and dads with kids in tow as they prepare for the soon-approaching school year. Every big box store has television ads and a 10-page spread showing how their sale is better than the next store’s sale. School supply shopping is an arduous task and not for the faint of heart. Lines are long and people can be ruthless. So, instead of making my wife endure the struggle another year, I stepped up to the plate and took our girls along for the mission.

My wife was nice enough to send me out with what could only be perceived as battle tips and I was sure to listen. Stick to the lists, keep an eye on the girls, and don’t forget to use coupons. Easy, right? I thought she was kidding but comparing it to battle was fair. Either way, here’s what I got out of the experience.

Nailing Down The Supplies

Supply shopping can be confusing, particularly since school supply lists can change. Stick with the grade appropriate staple items until the final list comes out. Specialty items are expensive and your child’s particular class may not require the items. Rather than purchasing a new character backpack every year, invest in a more expensive but durable option in their favorite colors. The concept of paying $50 and it lasting several years is much better than paying $15-20 but replacing it every year and sometimes mid-year.

Some stores, particularly office supply stores and department stores, will offer what are referred to as loss leaders – bottom dollar pricing to get you to do all of your supply shopping in their store. If it doesn’t require a drive all over town, it’s worth it to buy these items and move on to the next store. Check the ads to find what stores are offering the best deals. If items are ridiculously cheap but you don’t need them, considering purchasing them to donate to a school supply drive or your child’s own school.

Don’t Go Crazy On Clothes

Kids grow at an alarming rate and clothing be expensive. Everyone wants to look their best on the first day of school but that doesn’t mean you need to spend a fortune. When it comes to clothing stick to the basics for now. Limit the kids to one pair of jeans, two tops, and a pair of shoes. Look for items with a bonus, like pants with a free belt or a shirt that can be dressed up. The kids need some new clothes since they’ve likely grown since last year but there’s no need to buy a whole new wardrobe right now. Believe it or not, it’s actually best to shop just after school starts. More than likely, the stores ordered excess and in order to clear the post back-to-school shelves, they’ll mark these items on clearance.

Unwinding At The Hair Salon

Everyone needs a fresh new haircut to start off the school year and this will be the most relaxing part of your day, especially if it’s anything like our experience at Hairzoo. Appointments aren’t necessary at many places but are recommended, especially at busy times like these. If your child is trying a new style, have them bring a picture of their idea with them so there is no confusion. Just be clear in what you’re wanting. Look for coupons or discounts you can use to save any additional money.

All in all, it wasn’t too bad. The crowds rivaled those of holiday shopping and were equally daunting, but I came out ahead with an experience. Best of all, my wife made one of my favorite meals to thank me for freeing up her day.

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It’s Time for School With Chasing Fireflies ( @chasenfireflies ) #CFSchoolCool

August 22, 2013 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

When it comes time to get ready to go back to school, our kids want to look their best! No matter if that means clothes, shoes or other accessories, they want to be ready (no matter how much they fight us to get ready). I am always at a loss when it comes to knowing exactly what to get the kids it is nice when I can have a site the brings some hot back to school items together all in one place and Chasing Fireflies has done just that with their Back to School Pinterest Page – http://pinterest.com/chasingfireflie/back-to-school-2013/

I was asked to select two items from this page to try out with my own kids and I actually got the kids involved in the selection (as I did not want to hear that I chose the wrong items). My youngest daughter will be going to kindergarten this year and she has been growing like a weed over the past six months, so we really needed shoes. What was great about these personalized Converse shoes that you see to the top and bottom her is that they are personalized, and anyone that has young kids know that sometimes kids have similar shoes and having the child’s name on them just helps that much more. I was impressed with how quickly the shoes arrived after ordering, especially with personalization and they were of such high quality!

My eldest is always the more difficult one to shop for. For her she helped me select the Watch it Change watches that you see at the top of the post and below. This watch was great and was definitely a hit with Diva-J as first off she is always running late (so a watch was needed), but even better in her book were the different ribbons that the watch comes with that act as the watch band for the watch itself. So far she has really loved changing out the bands depending on what she was wearing and having a blast looking grown up with a grown up watch too. I loved the fact that Diva-J actually now has a watch, so I can tell her to be home by a certain time and she can’t tell me that she didn’t have a watch or was unaware of the time itself.

All-in-all I was impressed with the Back-to-school items that Chasing Fireflies offers as that are unique and different, which are two traits that both my daughters seem to enjoy! On top of this Chasing Fireflies also has a ton of amazing Halloween Costumes if you are in the market or are starting to plan early! Check out the selections here – http://www.chasing-fireflies.com/costumes/departments/46/

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