Have you ever wondered how the Hooked On Phonics program works? This Classy Girl sounds off on what she thinks about the Hooked On Phonics Kindergarten Complete (and everything else pertaining to school)… see what she thinks!
Chic Mom Says: I have always been the kind of mom who loves having a “system” when approaching my kids on any given subject (yes, I am very Type A), but I was worried that my free-spirited 3 year old would resent the Hooked On Phonics system. Instead, she has completely risen to the occasion, and has loved the entire process of starting the day with a fun movie (prepping her for reading), time working together on the book, and the ever-anticipated “star sticker” reward at the end.
This Hooked On Phonics Kindergarten Complete set has perfectly meshed all the different ways in which she learns (watching, reading, listening, practicing), while keeping her entertained, and the boredom at a (slight) minimum. I love it, and can’t wait to move up the different levels as she gets older!
You Say: Do you do any school at home with your child? What movies, books or set do YOU love?
Learn To Read Kindergarten Complete is $79.95
Contributed by Chic Mom
While some of you are enjoying warm, sunny weather, there are a lot of us suffering through the frigid temperatures of winter–successive days of frigid temperatures. So after you’ve gone ice skating, snow boarding, skiing, and done the puzzles, the art work, and the games, you start to make cookies and pizzas. As I watched my daughter kneading the dough, I thought back to the cute William Steig book, Pete’s a Pizza. As I reminded my daughter about this book that was a favorite of hers about 2 years ago, she wanted to see it again. But we no longer have the book at home, and I was not about to buy it since her desire to see Pete’s a Pizza was more of a whim than anything else. While I would love to save all of her early reading books, there just isn’t enough room. I did however find something I did not know about that satisfied both of us. It’s One More Story, www.onemorestory.com
The site is an online library of the best children’s classics and contemporary literature. For young children they can point and click a book of their chosing, see illustrations, and hear the book read to them. Each story is professionally narrated and has original music written for the story. The selection includes Caldecott Medal winners from 10 different publishers. In addition to William Steig, authors include David Shannon, Grace Lin, Ezra Jack Keats, and Taro Yashmina, to name a few.
For girls slightly older, One More Story offers an “I Can Read It” mode. If your classy girl is 7+, it’s a great way for her to read to her younger siblings or just peek back at books that enthralled her when she was younger. I loved the way my daughter now found her early books so much fun because they were, “…so easy to read, Mom.” It’s also nice to know that even though so many of those books no longer fit on your daughter’s bookshelves, they are only a click away. If the weather keeps up, my daughter said she is going to “read” Snowy Day and, of course, she is using Ottilie & Lulu Body Glow Lotion to keep her skin feeling soft with the light, lovely scent of lavender.
Keep warm.
Deborah Hernan, Healthful Mom
Founder, Ottilie & Lulu
www.ottilieandlulu.com
Merry Christmas to you and your classy girl from all of us at My Classy Girl!
Disney on Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy:
What classy girl doesn’t love a good show on ice? I mean, don’t most of them dream of twirling and dancing gracefully on ice themselves? I can only imagine the delight my own classy girl will have when we attend the Disney on Ice Worlds of Fantasy next week! If you are in Southern California, what better way to celebrate winter than to attend a show yourself?
Rev up for non-stop fun with four of your favorite Disney stories at Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy. Thrill to high-speed stunts as Lightning McQueen, Mater and the crew of Disney/Pixar’s CARS race across the ice. Dive into The Little Mermaid’s enchanting undersea kingdom and experience the ‘Circle of Life’ with The Lion King. Then enter into the magical world of Pixie Hollow with Tinker Bell and all her fairy friends as they make their world premiere on ice! From wheels to waves, Pride Lands to pixie dust, your family’s favorite Disney moments come to life at Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy with dazzling skating, special effects and beloved characters certain to create a lifetime of memories.
Special Bonus! Disney Princess Pre-Show: Arrive up to one hour early to tour our dazzling display of gorgeous gowns. Complimentary to all ticket holders.
Los Angeles Area Families:
Purchase a 4-pack of tickets for only $44 for Monday through Friday matinee shows, or receive $4 off all weekend shows by logging onto ticketmaster.com and entering the coupon code: MOM.
LA area schedule:
STAPLES Center, Los Angeles
December 17: 7:30pm
December 18: 11:00am, 7:30pm
December 19: 12:00pm, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
December 20: 12:00pm, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
Honda Center, Anaheim
December 22: 7:30pm
December 23: 1:00pm, 7:30pm
December 24: 1:00pm, 4:30pm
December 25: 4:30pm
December 26: 12:00pm, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
December 27: 12:00pm, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
ORACLE Arena, Ontario
December 30: 7:30pm
December 31: 1:00pm, 4:30pm
January 1: 3:30pm, 7:30pm
January 2: 12:00pm, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
January 3: 11:00am, 3:00pm
Long Beach Arena, Long Beach
January 6: 7:30pm
January 7: 7:30pm
January 8: 11:00am, 7:30pm
January 9: 12:00pm, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
January 10: 12:00pm, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
Southern California ENTER TO WIN:
I have a 4 pack of tickets for either the Ontario Show on December 30th at 7:30pm or the Long Beach Show on January 6th at 7:30pm to giveaway! Entering is easy! Simply follow @MyClassyGirl on Twitter and re-tweet this:
@MyClassyGirl I want to win a 4-pack of Disney on Ice Worlds of Fantasy tickets! http://tinyurl.com/yb8qucq
Deadline to Enter:
December 20 11:59 PM PT
UPDATE: OR LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW telling us why you want to see the Disney on Ice show! Good Luck!
Eeek! December 1 and Christmas is only 24 days away! During this past holiday weekend, my classy girl and I giggled through stacks of catalogues and viewed an inbox full of emails from retailers offering great deals on holiday gifts and free shipping.
For a less frenetic perspective, we also went to see Disney’s, A Christmas Carol, and last night before bedtime we read The Legend of the First Christmas Presents, by Axel Hambraeus. The different executions of gift-giving in the holiday season was striking. But this is not a write-up about giving less this year. On the contrary, it is meant to encourage us to look around and see if we can give more to those who need. We all know how Ebenezer redeemed himself, and The Legend is also about unselfish giving. As we finished reading, my daughter and I had a conversation about the difference between what someone may need versus what someone wants. She then asked me if we knew anyone who really needed anything. I stopped for a moment or two before answering because I wanted to strike the right balance between giving lovely fun gifts to those she loves with giving thoughful, needed gifts to those she does not know.
So, I answered by saying there are a lot of young girls who we don’t know and who need a great many things. To which came her inevitable questions: “Like who?” “What do they need?” And so, I decided to answer her questions by highlighting several charities that support young girls. Over the next three weeks, I am going to introduce my daughter to three charities that address the needs of girls. I am going to encourage my tween to be thoughtful and give something of herself to some girl or girls she doesn’t know–but are in need of support and of knowing that someone cares.
Tonight before bed, we will visit Girls Learn International http://www.girlslearn.org/index.php?catid=7&over=7&color=Black I have a few ideas for other girls’ charities, but if you have favorites, let me know. Let’s teach our classy girls how they can bring hope and joy to other girls’ lives.
Healthful Mom