The Growth Mindset Workbook from Daddilife Books **REVIEW**

 **Collaborative Post**

AD: As parents, we all want the best for our children in life right? But the reality is that starts at home and with the way we instill things into our children as they grow up such as values, confidence, and their mindset about themselves and life in general. Just like many other aspects of parenting, getting this right can feel like a bit of a minefield, but unlike other aspects of parenting where there is "no manual" thanks to Daddilife Books when it comes to instilling a good growth mindset, we have the next best thing... a workbook! 

The workbook titled "The Growth Mindset Workbook" is a must-have for both parents and children and is packed full of helpful advice, information, and, of course as the name suggests, worksheets and tasks for you and your child to work through.  

Colours Colours Everywhere book **REVIEW**

Evelyn adores books and whilst she can't read herself, yet reading is something we have done together for quite some time now. However, she does like to browse books herself and so we are always on the lookout for bright simple board books that she can look at herself.

We were recently given the opportunity to try out a new book called "Colours Colours Everywhere" which is illustrated by Samantha Meredith and is packed full of beautiful colour images. I knew Evelyn would love this and we eagerly awaiting the books arrival.

When it arrived, the book was an instant hit with Evelyn! The thick board pages are perfect for her as she can be quite rough, and these don't rip or tear when she turns the pages. The colours pop out of the book right from the front page which make the book really eye catching especially for young children.

Each page inside the book features a different colour and a whole range or corresponding objects and animals that match that colour. Evelyn is now talking with single words and loved being able to point out each object/animal and learn its name then repeat it back to us. The book also features some raised 3D pieces to which children can run their fingers over and feel the raised shapes which Evelyn enjoyed.

Colours Colours Everywhere is aimed at children aged 0-3 years and is priced at £8.99 which we think is great value. The book is sturdy and strong to withstand lots of toddler reading. The colours are bright and really pop out of the book. There are not many words in the book which again make it great for toddlers who may wish to look at books themselves. This book helps children discover the wonders of the rainbow through fun pictures and short simple rhymes and gets a big thumbs up from myself and Evelyn.

If you want to check out this book a little more or purchase your own copy you can do so via the Little Tiger website here - www.littletiger.co.uk.

Do your young children like books too or do you read together?

xXx


**I was not paid for this post, I was sent this item in return for an honest review. 
All thoughts and opinions in this post are my own and written by me. **

Our current top 5 children's story books.

I had never been in to books much until I had kids, now I still don't really read for myself (I struggle to find any time) but I do adore ready to both James and Evelyn and have done so since they were tiny babies.

I love how children can get lost in a story and how it fuels and nurtures their already wild and vivid imagination. James has always loved books but since starting school and learning to read for himself books have become a real passion for him and we read together each night. When we are not reading together I often find him reading story books to his sister as she often sits and listens intently, its a real pleasure to watch. 

So I recently asked James (aged 6) to share with me his favourite 5 books at the moment from his book shelf and here are the 5 he chose -

Cinder the Bubble-Blowing Dragon

Tyrannosaurus Drip

Aliens Love Underpants

Harry and the Dinosaurs go to School

Mr Nosey and the big surprise

I adore that James loves reading as it was one of my main concerns before he started school as he was showing no signs of being able to read or wanting too! Despite my best efforts at home a few months at school and he was excelling and I haven't been able to stop him since. Its a real joy to watch him reading and really getting in to the story of a book and telling me all about it afterwards. James even reads to his sister now who adores his reading just as much as I do.

Do your children love reading? What is your childs favourite book to read at the moment? 

xXx

DK Carol Vorderman Workbooks **REVIEW**

One of the things I always worry about during school holidays such as the summer holidays and the half term holidays is keeping James occupied and still eager and interested in learning. 

I am always looking for different things to keep him engaged with learning and his mind still ticking over even when not attending school, so when we came across the range of Carol Vorderman workbooks from DK I was excited to see how James would get on with them. 

Carol Vorderman is the number one bestselling children's education author* and is the author of the 10 Minutes A Day Spelling Fun and 10 Minutes A Day Vocabulary workbooks, newly released as part of the English Made Easy range published by DK. Carol Vorderman MA (Cantab) MBE, is one of Britain's best-loved TV presenters and is renowned for her skills in mathematics. She has hosted numerous shows from light entertainment with Carol Vorderman's Better Homes and The Pride of Britain Awards, to scientific programmes such as Tomorrow's World, on the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4. Whether co-hosting Channel 4's Countdown for 26 years, or advising Rt. Hon David Cameron on the future of UK mathematics education, Carol has a passion and devotion to explaining educational subjects in an exciting and easily understandable way.

As James is 5 we received the books aimed at his age range which were - 

- 10 Minutes A Day Spelling Fun (ages 5-7) (DK, £5.99)

- Made Easy Spelling Punctuation and Grammar (ages 5-7) (DK, £3.99)

- 10 Minutes A Day Maths (ages 5-7) (DK, £5.99)

There are also workbooks available for ages 7-11 if you have slightly older children! 

One thing that is unique about these books is that they feature a timer! I love this added feature and it certainly got James interested too. The timer is easy to use with a simple start and stop button so even children can activate it themselves. The idea is to set the timer as the child begins and they simple complete 10 minutes of the workbook each time. The timer is automatically set and once 10 minutes is reached it will beep to let you know.  

James has quite a short attention span, as I am sure most 5 year old's do! So getting him to sit down and capture his imagination can be quite challenging but these books certainly did just that, he was actually asking to do some more each evening! Each page is set out spaciously and easy to read with eye catching colours and tasks meaning they really grab you in the to page and grab children imagination and attention. 

These workbooks fully support the new National Curriculum at Key Stage 1 and 2, and are designed to help your child with schoolwork and home practice in a fun and engaging way. 

We have started doing 10 minutes of spelling and 10 minutes of maths a night and James hasn't moaned once as its only 10 minutes it doesn't take to long or seem like to much work even though he seems to be learning so much through just 10 minutes a night, and most importantly he seems to be having fun whilst learning! 

Parents don't worry, if there are any questions you are not 100% sure on then all of the answers are at the back of the book so you can check all of the answers are correct! Some of the books even come with little gold stars for younger ones which you can stick on the page (or give to them) when they complete tasks or pages. 

To find out more about 10 Minutes A Day Spelling Fun and 10 Minutes A Day Vocabulary and further education titles by Carol Vorderman, visit DK.com.

Do your children like doing workbooks? 

xXx


**I was not paid for this post, I was sent this item in return for an honest review. 
All thoughts and opinions in this post are my own and written by me. **

My Little World, One, Two, Baa, Moo book **REVIEW**

We own several books from Little Tiger press and the My Little World series but I have to say this pop up book is one of our favourites!

The books features the classic My Little World bright, bold and colourful pictures that really manage to capture a young child's attention and imagination. However this books features something even more... pop up features!

Evelyn is still to young to read but I love reading to her and she really seemed to enjoy this book as it was a little interactive for her rather than just listening, with each page she eagerly awaited me to turn it and for the animals to "pop" out of the book (she let out a little chuckle every time!). The book definitely can withstand some degree of manhandling from children as Evelyn tugged at the paged and poked at the pop-up sections but they are all still perfectly in tact.

One, Two, Baa, Moo is aimed at children aged 3-5 years although as I mentioned above Evelyn is only 14 months old but loved having this book read to her and thoroughly enjoyed the pop-up features.

There are 2 books in this pop up series the other is called "Red car Blue Car" and both are priced at £6.99. I love that these books are hard wearing and sturdy featuring an extra thick hardback front and back cover and large chunky pages, even the card used for the pop-up features seems quite thick and sturdy.

For slightly older children this is a great book to introduce children to reading simple words, numeracy and identifying different animals and it also features a lovely rhyme throughout the book making the short story flow.

If you want to find out more about any of the My Little World series pop over to the Little Tiger Press website here - www.littletigerpress.com.

You can also stay up to date with all the new Little Tiger Press news and new releases via their website and emails. 

xXx

* I was not paid for this review. All opinions given are my own.

* If you would like me to review your product or service, please email me on xJessLegresleyx@hotmail.com.

Collins Big Cats books **REVIEW**

When James started school in September he couldn't really read at all but he loved having books read to him. When he started school he showed a really keen interest in learning to read and quickly learnt and now according to his teacher is above expectations for his year and you simply can't stop him from reading!

James brings home a book a week from school and we also make regular trips to the library as he just can't get enough of reading. So when we were given the opportunity to try out some Collins big cat reading lion books I knew they would be a hit with James.

Collins big cat reading lion books are a huge selection of topical fiction and non-fiction books written by the best authors and illustrators known for creating beautiful books and engaging stories that are loved by children. These books have been used in UK schools to help children learn to read but they are now available for you to purchase from the high street to use and read at home, making them more accessible and making learning phonics fun at home! 

We received a lovely set of books from Collins big cat that were tailored to James stage of reading. That's the great thing about Collins big cat is that you can purchase books that are at the right level for your child rather than guessing or worrying if the book is to easy or hard. 

The different levels available are - 

Big Cat Reading Lions – Level 1: First Reading at Home

Big Cat Reading Lions – Level 2: Practice Reading at Home

Big Cat Reading Lions – Level 3: Supported Reading at Home

Big Cat Reading Lions – Level 4: Confident Reading at Home

Big Cat Reading Lions – Level 5: Independent Reading at Home

Big Cat Reading Lions – Level 5: Fluent Reading at Home

The set we received was the Collins big cat reading lions supported at home Level 3 for ages 6-7. As well as the story these books also contain helpful activities that encourage your children to answer questions about the book or the words within the book to help them understand and enjoy learning even after the story has finished. 

The books are not only fun to read for children but they help build reading, listening and speaking skills. 

The set contains 6 books and is priced at £24.00 for the set. It contained the following books - 

What’s that Building? by Richard Platt
Unusual Traditions by John McIlwain
How to be a Knight by Scoular Anderson
Chewy Hughie by Jane Clarke
Twinkle, Twinkle Firefly by John Agard & Grace Nichols
Mountain Mona by Vivian French

Here is a clip of James reading one of his favourite books in the set "Chewy Hughie".

We also received the Collins picture atlas which was fantastic, even I as an adult enjoyed browsing through it. Its not like a traditional atlas, its much more fun! The pages are packed full of colourful eye catching images to go with the snippets of facts about the different country or continents. It also helps children learn about different people, animals and the different cultures around the world. 

I think this atlas would be the perfect learning tool for children learning about different places and as it contains images as well as writing its easy to understand even for younger readers. It is aimed at children aged 4-8 although I think children even older than 8 would still enjoy reading it. 

Here are some of the colourful pictures you can find within the Picture Atlas. 

If you want to find out more about the whole Collins collection you can visit their website here - www.collins.co.uk. 

Do your children enjoy reading? Whats your child's favourite book? 

xXx

* I was not paid for this review. All opinions given are my own.

* If you would like me to review your product or service, please email me on xJessLegresleyx@hotmail.com.

My Little World books **REVIEW**

James loves books especially since he started school and can now read lots of words himself! Reading with children is something I have always thought to be such an important thing to do with children as it has so many benefits as well as providing some quality time with your child.

So when we were contacted by Little Tiger kids to review some new books that were being released very soon we of course jumped at the chance!

The first book we received was for Evelyn and it was called "Thank you".

Although Evelyn cannot read yet we still ensure we read to her on a regular basis and this book has a finger puppet incorporated for another aspect of the book which really held her interest!

Thank you from Little Tiger helps teach children about saying thank you. It reinforces the importance of manners in a fun, enjoyable and accessible way all with the help of a doggy finger puppet!

We have read this book several times since receiving it and Evelyn loves the finger puppet, even James has been sitting with us and reading along. The pictures are clear and bright and the words within the book are kept short and simple, perfect for younger children to understand. The book is also wipe clean so if mucky baby fingers want to touch and play with the book its easy to clean.

The book is aimed at children aged 0-3 years and is priced at £6.99.

The second book we received was for James and was actually more of an activity pack than a book. It was called Farm and is a sticker book and jigsaw!

The Farm pack comes in a sturdy box with a plastic handle and is perfect for keeping the jigsaw in. I particularly loved the idea of sticker book, It not only was a fun sticking activity but it actually had a story inside too, so it can be used again even once the stickers have been used! You basically read along the story and add the animal stickers that it asks for on each page.
The jigsaw had large chunky pieces but still had plenty of pieces making it just challenging enough for James who is 5.

James loved the combination of the puzzle and book and its great that both items can be used time and time again and kept safe inside the durable box they come in. This set is aimed at children aged 3-5 years and is priced at £8.99.

You can find these books and more from My Little world range of books here - www.littletiger.co.uk

Do you own any My little world books? If so whats your favourite?

xXx

* I was not paid for this review. All opinions given are my own.

* If you would like me to review your product or service, please email me on xJessLegresleyx@hotmail.com.