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Tuesday Tales – Picnic at Camp Shalom

Posted on June 7, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As a child, I have many memories of going to camp during the summer. I went to a JCC camp, Girl Scout Camp, a local nature/crafting camp, and some others over the years. These days, the options of camps are even more extensive if you know where to look. Summer vacation in our area does not begin until the end of June. I have been so busy with other items, that I have not secured camp for the boys yet. I know; I need to get cracking on that.

While reading Picnic at Camp Shalom, a new book out from Kar-Ben Publishing, it made me think back on my camp experiences. I remember being in a summer play that was a spoof of The Wizard of Oz with a Purim theme. I dressed up and recall singing “Follow the Hamantaschen Road” with my friends. I need to dig around to find the photos to show my boys as I investigate camps for them.

More about Picnic at Camp Shalom:

When Carly makes fun of Sara’s last name at mail call, her bunkmate at Camp Shalom thinks she’s just being mean and refuses to be consoled. Little does Sara know that Carly had a reason for her outburst. When their mutual love of music brings harmony to Shabbat dinner as well as to their friendship, Carly finally gets the chance to reveal her secret.

Here is a trailer from the author about the book:

Picnic at Camp Shalom – Written by Jacqueline Jules – Illustrated by Deborah Melmon - Kar-Ben Publishing – March 2011 – ISBN 978-0-7613-6662-1 – $7.95 (paperback) – Ages 5-9

What I Thought:

Summer camp is a milestone that most children will eventually participate in. Making new friends and getting to know them is part of the excitement of the experience. Of course, when you do not know someone well, you could easily hurt their feelings. Jacqueline Jules shows us how Carly makes an honest mistake that results in Sara pulling away from her new friend. We watch as Carly learns from her mistake and explains to Sara that she is sorry for upsetting her. The beautiful illustrations from Deborah Melmon take us into the world of Camp Shalom and let us go on the flag hunt and join in Shabbat dinner with the campers. Traditions of summers at camp, being Jewish, and making new friends are strong themes in the book.

As a teacher and parent, I really like another aspect of Picnic at Camp Shalom. Children often act in an impulsive fashion. Without even thinking, they can say words that sting and hurt their friends and others in their lives. This book would be great to use with children to show them why it is so important to stop and think before saying something too quickly. Take time to discuss what happened to Carly as a result of what she said to Sara. How could she have done things differently? What would you do if you were in that situation? Do you think your feeling would be hurt if someone did that to you? As you can see there are a lot of questions you could generate from this. I can not wait to share this book with my almost eight year old son. Lots of lessons to be learned from it.

What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your Book Posts, and/or leave a comment below. Include something you read on your own, with a child or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

Disclosure: I received this book complimentary of Kar-Ben Publishing in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. One widget within the review is for my Amazon Affiliate where I will receive a percentage of money for the sale of the books should you opt to buy the book mentioned.

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Journey To Comfort – Giveaway

Posted on June 2, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Father’s Day is coming in a few short weeks. I know that the boys and I always have a tough time coming up with something special to get TechyDad. Last year, I was able to get some Dove Men + Care items for JL to try. As I wrote at the time, he was a bit skeptical about using a body wash from past experience. Much to our surprise, TechyDad really liked the way the body wash left his skin feeling and we have been buying it ever since that time.

I was recently contacted by the PR agency from Dove Men + Care to do a giveaway and let people know about a promotion they are running for Father’s Day. I immediately agreed and was sent another fantastic package for TechyDad

About the line:

New Dove Men + Care is from the dermatologist recommended brand Dove, which has a history of cleansing, moisturizing, and care.
The new Dove Men + Care Sensitive Clean Body and Face Wash fights dryness and is formulated specifically for men who prefer mild, unscented body and face wash.
Dove Men + Care Deodorants and Antiperspirants are formulated to provide 48 hour protection and be tough on sweat not skin.

The new “Journey to Comfort” videos feature Stewart Cink and Davis Love III. Here is one of the videos:

Dove Men + Care has also set up a new Twitter account (@DoveMenCare) where you can participate for a chance to win* daily prizes, including memorabilia signed by Cink and Love, in addition to other golf-related gear which will be perfect for Father’s Day and beyond. You can also check out the Tournament to Comfort game to play for a chance to win even more prizes including the opportunity to meet Cink, a session with Cink’s swing coach, a set of custom clubs, and a trip to the 2012 tour of championship.

* No purchase necessary. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., 18 & older. Begins 12:00 p.m. ET on 4/6/11 & ends 12:00 p.m. ET on 6/20/11. Void where prohibited. Go to DoveMenCare.com for Official Rules.

Although TechyDad is not a golf fan, he is a fan of Dove Men + Care and will continue to use their products. So far he seems to like the new deodorant. I like them because the smell is not too overpowering like many other deodorants with a scent which made me sneeze when he would use them.

Giveaway:

Thanks to Dove, one lucky reader will win their prize pack similar to the one that we received above.

Rules for Giveaway:

MAIN RULE – Let me know how the man in your life shows that he is comfortable in his own skin.

1 Bonus Entry – Follow DoveMenCare on Twitter
1 Bonus Entry – Tweet the following about the giveaway (May be done once a day): Is the man in your life comfortable in his skin? Chance to #win a @DoveMenCare prize pack from @TheAngelForever http://bit.ly/lupphg #giveaway
2 Bonus Entries – Like The Angel Forever on Facebook. If you have already done this – just let me know.
1 Bonus Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
1 Bonus Entry – Leave a comment on any of my non-giveaway posts from the month of May/June. Leave a comment here to let me know which one. This Bonus entry may be done three times per person.
3 Bonus Entries – Add my blog button to your website and/or add me to your blogroll. Be sure to leave a link with the location.
1 Bonus Entry – Head over to TechyDad’s blog and enter any of his current giveaways.

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. Contest starts today June 2, 2011 and ends at 10:59 EST on June 15, 2011. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to U.S. residents only.

Disclosure: We received a Dove Men + Care Father’s Day Pack shown above from Rocket XL to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given and all opinions expressed in this review are my families own feelings about the products. As previously mentioned, we have continued to purchase these products on our own.

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Tuesday Tales – The Case of the Crooked Carnival

Posted on May 10, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away I was a teacher. I wore many different hats as a teacher. Having three areas of certification, I am able to teach a lot of areas. One year, the school I worked for needed a sixth grade language arts teacher. I jumped at the opportunity. That meant I was able to work on combining language arts and science together. It was tricky, but able to be accomplished with projects and technology integration.

What I would have loved would have been more trade books (that’s teacher talk for novels used in a classroom) to read with the kids. Luckily, more authors are now writing fiction books for children with a scientific twist. A while back, Sterling Children’s Books sent me one of their Doyle and Fossey, Science Detective books by Michele Torrey.

I had never heard of this series, so I decided to read it solo before trying it with my reluctant chapter book reading second grader.

More about The Case of the Crooked Carnival:

From Sterling – Science super-sleuths Drake Doyle and Nell Fossey are back—this time in a never-before-published addition to the popular series! They’ve got an exciting collection of cases, too: Are ghosts and ghouls keeping Edgar Glum awake? Have aliens invaded Mossy Swamp? What’s the crooked game everyone’s losing at the carnival? And why is the town bridge going bananas? Kids will have fun following the clues—and learning about such real scientific principles as amplification, ecosystems, magnetic fields, and more. Plus, budding Doyles and Fosseys will find actual experiments to try!

Michele Torrey holds a degree in microbiology and immunology. In addition to the Doyle & Fossey mysteries she has written the critically acclaimed Voyage of Midnight (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2006), To the Edge of the World (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2003), and many other books for young people. Barbara Johansen Newman wrote and illustrated Sterling’s critically praised Tex & Sugar (2007). School Library Journal noted that her “Rich, vibrant illustrations, like an explosion of color, capture the sights of the city, while meticulous detail depicts the all-animal cast and a wide range of expressions.” Her work has been featured in national magazines, newspapers, calendars, cards, and more than a dozen children’s books.

The Case of the Crooked Carnival – Written by Michele Torrey – Illustrated by Barbara Johansen Newman – Sterling Children’s Books– June 2010 – ISBN 978-1-4027-4965-0 – $6.95 – Ages 9-12 – 96 pages

What I Thought:

As I sat devouring The Case of the Crooked Carnival, I kept thinking about how perfect it would have been to use in a classroom. Within the language arts curriculum, a teacher could use it in a mystery genre study. There were many opportunities to make predictions and utilize a dialogue journal. My teacher brain kept running a mile a minute thinking about different items. Of course, the science teacher in me adored the scientific details within the book. The four mysteries incorporated a great deal of science facts for students of all ages. Doyle and Fossey take the readers into their world and carefully explain how they used their knowledge of science principals to solve each case.

The book also had a section after the cases about creating your own lab, describing the Scientific Method, and five experiments to try on your own. I loved how the Michele Torrey explained to young scientists the items that are contained in a good lab notebook. Once again, this could be combined with the start of more formalized science labs within a curriculum. Here are some view from within The Case of the Crooked Carnival:

As I was looking online, I was thrilled to see that there are also items for educators to use with the Doyle and Fossey books. Michele Torrey has an Educator’s Corner that includes teacher guides. The guide for The Case of the Crooked Carnival is 40 pages and includes:

Character Analyses
Mystery Genre – antagonist/protagonist
Alliteration
Read-aloud connections
Vocabulary
Science Study with a lot of connectors to the reading extension on the science – Sound, Amplification, Ecosystems, Magnets, and Resonance.
9 Reproducible sheets to use with students

I can not wait to read this book with my son. He loves science and solving mysteries. I think this will be a great read for over the summer so we can add some science enrichment activities and do our own lab experiments. Of course, I also want to get more of the Doyle and Fossey books – lucky for us there are five additional titles to select from. I definitely recommend these books to others and will be gifting them in the future.

Disclosure: I received this book complimentary of Sterling Children’s Books in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. One widget within the review is for my Amazon Affiliate where I will receive a percentage of money for the sale of the books should you opt to buy the book mentioned.

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Techy Kid Time – Letter Buddies AlphaBooks

Posted on May 5, 2011 9:07 am by TheAngelForever

It is no secret that my boys love technology. They are not afraid to jump on a computer and they LOVE my iPod. Since I inherited the iPod from my parents, I have been trying to figure out some good educational applications for JSL. At almost four, JSL wants to do things like his big brother, but he needs learning tools that are developmentally appropriate.

Yes, we have games for the kids. My favorite items are still the ones that focus on some area of learning in a fun way where the boys do not realize it is happening. I guess the teacher in me will always be present. As part of the Family Review Network, I was recently I was asked to review Letter Buddies AlphaBooks by Cavallo Media. Here is the video that I previewed that made me know it was something I wanted to try with my preschooler:

Available in the iTunes Store for $2.99. Released March 18, 2011 in the Education category. Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and also an iPad version.

What We Thought of Letter Buddies AlphaBooks:

As a certified reading teacher, I was very intrigued with an application for younger children that begins to introduce early reading skills. When I put Letter Buddies AlphaBooks onto the iPod, JSL and I sat down on the couch to check it out together. We decided to try out the letter F first. JSL receives speech therapy, and this is the sound that he is working on. Within seconds the iPod was pulled out of my hand and I sat and watched my three year old son participate in an interactive letter lesson.

We were introduced to Furry F and asked if we knew any words that start with the letter F. JSL sat there and said a few of them without me prompting him. Yes, at three he was responding to the cues of the application. Then I watched as the flashcard like photos and words came onto the screen.

A fan was shown. JSL would say it, move to the next screen where Furry F was with the Fan having his fur blown. The screen said “I like the fan.” JSL repeated this carefully looking at the words and getting his proper sounds out.
This repeated for five more words introduced by Furry F including: flower, feather, fire, fork, and fish.

While waiting for his speech lesson, JSL continued to explore other letters. Just looking at the menu he was starting to recognize his letters. The start sounds and word/letter recognition was amazing. JSL was actively engaged and would have kept going, but it was time for his speech lesson.

Of course, JSL HAD to show his teacher what he was trying. She was intrigued by the application and watched as JSL repeated the Furry F section. We both admired how this could be another great tool to use with JSL to reinforce start sounds with words. Of course, the reading teacher in me also knew he was really homing in on pre-reading skills as well. It was a win-win application.

JSL continues to ask to use Letter Buddies AlphaBooks to this day. He adores “chatting” with the characters and picking different books. I would recommend this to others looking for an interactive early literacy application for the preschool set.

Disclosure: This post was written for Family Review Network, and Cavallo Media who supplied me with a complimentary code for my honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are 100% mine.

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Tuesday Tales – Hitler’s Will

Posted on April 26, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

We will never forget. Over 6 million lives lost just because of their religious identity. Never will it happen again, yet it has. Together as a human race we must stop, think, teach, and read as much as we can about the topic.

What am I talking about?

I am referring to the Holocaust. Last year, I wrote about Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. I explained about fears that I had as a child growing up Jewish in a world that still is hateful. I also teased about writing a book review that I have never done. Today, I am doing that since Yom HaShoah is this coming Sunday, May 1.

When TechyDad and I were married, almost ten years ago, we had to select people to sign our ketubah (marriage license). This was a rather big deal. We decided that each of us would pick someone from our side to give this honor. To complicate matters, we wanted these people to be shomer shabbos and they could not be direct relatives.

My extended family is rather close. Even people that are not blood relatives were people that I grew up with, admired, and part of many holiday celebrations and events. My Aunt is British and we knew that we wanted her parents to be part of our celebration. The minute we heard that they were coming to our wedding, we knew we were going to ask Hermi to sign our ketubah.

Growing up, everyone mentioned that Hermi had lived through the Holocaust. I was always intrigued by this statement, but never brave enough to ask more. We were married, years went by, and then in November 2009 Hermi published a book about his experience during World War II.

About Hitler’s Will:

This is a synopsis of the book from the publisher:

Herman Rothman arrived in Britain from Germany as a Jewish refugee in the early years of WWII. He joined the British Army and in 1945 was posted to Westertimke and Fallingbostel PoW camps to interrogate high-ranking Nazi war criminals. When papers were discovered sewn into the shoulders of a jacket belonging to Heinz Lorenz, who had been Goebbels’ press secretary, he and a team of four others were charged with translating under conditions of the deepest secrecy. The documents turned out to be the originals of Hitler’s personal and political wills, and Goebbels’ addendum. Later on, in Rottenburg hospital, Rothman interrogated Hermann Karnau, who had been Hitler’s valet, to establish information about the Fuhrer’s death in the bunker.

Hitler’s Will is the amazing true story of Herman Rothman’s remarkable life, including how he managed to escape from Nazi Germany before the war began, and his role in bringing to light Hitler’s personal and political testaments, which shed important light on his final thoughts.

Hitler’s Will – Written by Herman Rothman – Edited by Helen Fry – Publishers: The History Press – November 2009 – ISBN 978-0752448343

What I thought:

Since I read The Diary of Anne Frank in fifth grade, I have read any book that I can find about this time period. I am a firm believer that we need to learn from the Holocaust and teach our children about the atrocities. Soon, there will be no survivors around to tell about their experiences.

I read Hitler’s Will in just over two days. It would have been less if I had more time to simply read. Even if I did not know Hermi, this book was fascinating. Hermi explains about his life in Germany under Hitler. Then, he takes us along on his journey from Germany to England where we learn about life in a new world. The book goes into a lot of detail about how he enlisted in the British army and served in the intelligence area doing a lot of interrogation. Readers find out how Hitler’s Will was found, translated, and used.

I have to admit, one of my favorite parts of biographical books are when photos are included. Hitler’s Will is no different.

I sat there looking at Hermi over the years in far off places, and then with his beautiful wife Shirley and their family. It really hit home.

Trying to summarize my feelings about this book is hard. It really was a unique look at one man’s life will to survive, work during World War II, and pledge to learn from history. The items in this book made me even more proud to call Herman Rothman a part of my family. TechyDad and I always look at our ketubah on our wall and smile knowing what an honor it is to have Hermi’s signature on our precious ketubah that started our married life together.

Disclosure: I snagged this book out of my mother’s house – thanks Mom! The opinions expressed in the review are my own and were in no way influenced by my relationship with the author. The widget within the review is an Amazon Affiliate where I will receive a percentage of money for the sale of the books should you opt to buy the book mentioned.