Discount InspirEd Educators 5107 I Think Geography - The Middle East

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $35.63
Sale Price: $28.50
Today's Bonus: 20% Off

I am a 7th grade Geography teacher in Oklahoma, and this is probably the best book I've ever bought as far as usefulness for my classroom goes. The lessons hit on the most important topics when discussing the Middle East such as stereotypes about the Middle East, water shortages, terrorism/extremism, oil, land disputes, religious conflict, etc. I used at least 5 lessons straight from the book, which is saying a lot coming from me. I am very rarely satisfied with pre-made lessons, but I only made very minor changes to the instructions the authors gave.

One of my favorite lessons is called "Going Home?". It starts off with a brief timeline of the history of the Jewish people to show where their religion originated and give some perspective about the hardships they had to face throughout history. Next, students are presented with 6 exhibits of primary and secondary source documents all revolving around the history of Palestine/Israel. They are:

-Letter from British government to Jewish leader

-Table showing immigration into Palestine between 1920 and 1945

-A picture of Palestinians protesting Jewish immigration

-Pictures from the Holocaust

-A newspaper article telling the story of a Jewish ship that was refused entry into Palestine

-An excerpt from a speech by David Ben-Gurion declaring the new state of Israel

Students look through the evidence by themselves, with partners, or in a small group. The teacher can choose how in depth you want to go with each exhibit. I personally assigned one exhibit to each small group and then had them present their findings to the rest of the class. As each group presented their exhibit, students completed the "Putting Words in Their Mouths" activity. Basically, they came up with a quote that different people involved in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict might have said based on the exhibits presented. The people they had to compose quotes for were

-A British political leader

-A Holocaust survivor

-A Palestinian Arab

-An Israeli settler

-A British soldier who removed refugees from the Exodus 1947

-A reporter who witnessed the events of the Arab Uprising

-Someone in the crowd at Gurion's speech

My students really enjoyed getting to work with actual documents from the time and they enjoyed the activity overall. This is but one example of the kind of lessons you can get from this book. I would highly recommend this product for both Geography and History teachers.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

VTech - ABC Text and Go Review

Customer Ratings:

This toy is excellent.

It has many different modes and sections, the sound is excellent, and the display is nice and big.

It amazes me that this item is only $13, I would have paid $30 for this toy after messing with it a bit and learning the different aspects of it.

My ONLY complaint, and it is a big one, is the battery door on the back is NOT secured with a screw, it is just a clip. I am going to write Vtech a letter about the battery door issue, but the rest of it is amazing.

VERY good for any kid aged 3 to 5, I highly recommend it. You won't regret the purchase.

-----Update: It has been over 2 years since I wrote this initial review. The toy is still going strong after bring dropped, stepped on and otherwise abused. It is now on its second child and just in case I bought a second one to hold onto in case it ever does finally die. The only toy in my house that gets more use and durability than this VTech thing is the Imaginext Dinosaurs that are built like a tank.

2 years later (2013) I can still toss this item 5 stars, despite the battery door not being screw on.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

I originally bought this for my 4 year old because she's constantly wanting to play on my phone. I thought if she had a "blackberry" of her own, she might give mine a break :) To my delight, she has barely put it down since Christmas! The best part is that she can use it all on her own. With many other learning toys, it seems the parents have to be right there with the child to help. We keep it in the car and it holds her attention for hours. It has helped her tremendously with letters, numbers, spelling, logic, etc. This is a TERRIFIC buy and I highly recommend it for ages 3-6!

Best Deals for VTech - ABC Text and Go

My 3.5 year old could not put this toy down after receiving it as a gift. It was easy for her to figure out and she liked the sounds and visuals on the screen. The only thing I would change on his toy is an option to lower the volume a notch lower than the two choices there already. They seem to be loud and louder.

Honest reviews on VTech - ABC Text and Go

This product is great for those kids who like to play with their parent's phones. This way they're able to learn and text at the same time.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for VTech - ABC Text and Go

My 14 month old loves this but I think the voices sound mean when she inevitably gets things wrong. It says "COME ON!!" in a harsh way when she presses the wrong buttons...lol She adores it though.

Review of Playful Patterns Lowercase Letters Wooden Magnetic Set

Customer Ratings:

We bought this for our 4 year old how knows nothing yet of letters. Other children who come to the house enjoy using them with our magnet board though and I am sure as our little guy grows he will enjoy them. They are delightful in appearance, and are made to last.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Makey Makey - Standard Kit Review

Customer Ratings:

Makey Makey is a great product and an awesome gift to get your children interested in how an electronic circuit works. My 13 year old son already understood that you have to make a complete circuit, so it was very easy for him to use. You access free games, pianos, etc. online and Makey Makey connects to the computer through USB. I would recommend an extra set of alligator clips and the roll of copper strip that come up when you buy the product or you will be a bit confined. As a Mom, I think it is great! I would definitely recommend it as a gift or part of your home education.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

CHEMILUMINESCENCE KIT BLUE LIGHT KIT Reviews

Customer Ratings:

My daughter used this kit for her Chemistry Science fair project. We both were impressed that we could acutally see the blue light very clearly. Is was so bright that she was able to take pictures with her camera and the blue light showed very well in the pictures. The process was easy to follow. It did exactly what it was supposed to do and it was a great experiment and the price was awesome.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

We just bought this kit. We have only worked on one of the experiments. My son (4yr old) loved it. It does not discuss a lot of the science behind chemoiluminescence but you can find useful information online. Highly recommended and educational.

Best Deals for CHEMILUMINESCENCE KIT BLUE LIGHT KIT

This seller receives a 5 star rating. The kit came just in time to complete my daughter's project. Quick shipping and the product was offered at a low price. The box the package arrived in was sturdy. The package and contents were sealed and unopened. The products worked as expected and the quantity of the products was more than what we needed. Will definitely use this seller again for future items.

Honest reviews on CHEMILUMINESCENCE KIT BLUE LIGHT KIT

This product worked great. I saw a Luminol experiment preformed in my chemistry class and decided too look it up and found this neat item. I wanted to get one for my cousins for Christmas they loved it and I ended up getting one for myself has plenty of chemicals in it to do multiple experiments and is tons of fun.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for CHEMILUMINESCENCE KIT BLUE LIGHT KIT

I ordered this on a Friday,and got it the following Wednesday.Yay for super-saver shipping!I ordered this along with a jansport backpack,and it came in a huge box.It hade the worlds safest packaging (airpacks),and when i saw the large box,i expected the kit to be a bit large.All of the item came in the small tub shown in the picture(about the size of a pint of ice cream).I ordered this kit for my daughters science fair and she won for the chemistry type theme.I saw this on for $10,but the shipping was $7.50 for that small tub.So i HAD too check amazon.I am happy with my order,and reuse the kit for my younger daughters science fair.

Best Manhattan Toy Go Push Toy Deals

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $12.00
Sale Price: $11.41
Today's Bonus: 5% Off

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I first fell in love with the Manhattan Toy Company when we discovered Groovy Girl Dolls. They have an amazing ability to create toys that kids and parents love. Their toys are also of very good quality and safe.

On top of my brand loyalty to Manhattan Toys, I also love any toy that can move without batteries and this is no exception. Our kids are the same way, the favorite dump truck and cars have always been the one that you can drag backwards and then propel themselves forward on their own. On top of the great function, we absolutely love the cuteness factor of the push puppy. The safety factor is also high on our list, and the puppy is set up so that the child's hand with be far from the hinge mechanism.

As far as we are concerned, this little puppy is a slam dunk hit. We love it!

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I wish this toy were made of wood, because my crazy allergies are more affected by plastics like this. But making it plastic surely keeps the price down for more children to be able to have and enjoy one.

I love the happy look on this toy doggie's face, and the great color combination. The orange and blue are great.

The toy operates very well. I have short carpeting, and with a push down on body and then letting go, it rolls briskly about 4 feet. Very satisfying!

Best Deals for Manhattan Toy Go Push Toy

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Fun toy, it works best if on wood floor, but it will work on short carpet. I have a bit of a shag to my carpet and it moved a little bit, works better than any other toy that rolls on it own. I also used it on short carpet and it work just fine, but it goes the farthest on wood. Just push the dogs butt down, let go and watch it speed away. My 16 month old loves it. The puppy is very easy for my son to handle, easy to hold on to. When you push the dog down, the toy goes a pretty far distant, great for my son to chase. I can see this as a good toy for beginner crawlers too.

Honest reviews on Manhattan Toy Go Push Toy

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program

This is a fun little toy that actually moves pretty fast considering how little effort goes in to winding it up. Just push its back down and when released the toy will travel forward at a decent rate of speed for a fairly long distance.

It is made out of hard plastic so if your child is prone to throwing things be careful. There is a very small gap on its hind quarters where the wind up action occurs. The gap is small enough to prevent fingers from getting pinched but parents will just want to look at that gap every once and awhile.

But overall this is a simple toy that even this 37 year old found to be entertaining.

Buy ALEX® Toys - Alex Jr. Baby Builder 1982

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $29.00
Sale Price: $18.27
Today's Bonus: 37% Off

We had gotten the award winning Alex Jr. popbeads for my son for his first birthday but he didn't really get into beyond shaking the container and dumping them out and putting them back in until my mother spent a few hours with him, teaching him to "pop" them apart and "snap" them together. After this they became a favorite in the toy rotation.

Although the container says 6m+ on it, we went ahead and got the next in the line (also award winning), the Alex Jr. Baby Builder, for our son who is alost 20 months for Christmas. It includes more popbeads but other pieces for making more elaborate creations as well.

It was an immediate success with both my son and my 21 m.o. nephew wanting to play with it all weekend!!! And all the adults were having fun making wacky creations with the colorful pieces.

We like this set better then the popbeads alone as there is so much more to do with it. Although I think my son's favorite part is still to shake the container when full (but with the lid off) and have the pieces rattle about loudly and evantually all fly out all over the place. He takes the shaking very seriously and is very intent on his purpose. Then it's all smiles and giggles.

Pulling apart the beads and putting them together (even with help) are definitely developing his fine motor skills and I think as he gets older he will be able to focus more on building creations with the other pieces whereas now he primarily just takes ours apart.

A couple items to note. I don't think a 6 m.o. baby would be able to pull apart the popbeads and definitely note put them to together (my son still needs a bit of help with that) muchless actually build something. I'd probably suggest for 15 or 18 months and up.

Curiously, the popbeads in this set seem to be sightly easier to put together then the ones in the set of popbeads alone. Not nearly as much help is needed from an adult he was almost doing it on his own on Christmas Day and I think soon will be.

The plastic these are made of feels on the cheaper side but so far they have held up to a lot of toddler abuse with only a few dents. I was concerned that my son would chew on them and break off and swallow an end but again so far no problems and my son puts everything in his mouth and has a full set of baby teeth. But I do think that if an adult wearing shoes stepped down on one it could be squashed.

Again these were an immediate success with my son and I think he'll enjoy for many more months. The colors are bright and cheerful and the shapes fun. I highly recommend for young todders (15m 24m, and maybe older)and may be getting a set for my nephew!

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

This was a Christmas gift for my 6 month old. He had no idea how to 'build' with it, but that didn't stop him from enjoying it. The colorful blocks were so much fun to chew on, suck on, and toss around. My 2 1/2 year old loved it as well. He was old enough to put the blocks together and loved building chains. Six months later, this set was still played with daily by both boys. Unlike most toys that are boring after about a week, this toy continues to hold their attention what a great find!

Best Deals for ALEX® Toys - Alex Jr. Baby Builder 1982

I bought these for my 6 month-old after playing with them at a friend's house. They were an instant hit. At 8 months old now, he still gets excited when I bring out these blocks. He loves grabbing the blocks and pulling beads apart. The curved shapes are perfect for teething on. The orange lid piece is just as much fun as the blocks. My son also loves tipping over the jar and watching the pieces tumble out. The jar is fun to roll around and rattle, and it is useful for teaching kids how to put blocks away. This toy will grow with him, as he learns to attach pieces together. It's fun for parents too. Save money and buy this builder set, instead of buying the "pop beads" and "first snaps" separately. I'm considering buying a second set, so we can make longer chains.

Honest reviews on ALEX® Toys - Alex Jr. Baby Builder 1982

We have owned several toys by Alex, and they have always been high quality. Unfortunately, that is not the case with this toy. The plastic is much thinner and 'cheapy' feeling than I expected. Having said that...

These have better play value than standard pop-beads because there is more versatility in how they can be put together. Both our 15mo old and our almost 5 yr old enjoyed these (I also caught our 8 & 10yr old playing with them). These are perfect for a household that needs something a preschool-age child would enjoy and that is safe for a baby to get into.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for ALEX® Toys - Alex Jr. Baby Builder 1982

My 19 mo. daughter loves these! She like to take them out of the container and put them back in over and over again. She has started trying to put them together although she is much better at taking them apart. I like that there is a large number of them to keep her occupied. It is almost impossible to get them all back in the container so that the lid will close all the way so I just usually just set the lid on top.

Best My First Pet with Magic Portal Deals

Customer Ratings:

This is a great product and that a decent price. My children fondly remember growing up of sea monkeys. We almost always lived in apartments and were not allowed pets. The fact that they could sort of grow them themselves made it really fun for them

.

We had the sea monkey portapet back then and the Aqua leash prove necessary.

This kit comes with an Aqua leash which is useful for many things. We would put an aerator stone for an aquarium at the end of it toaerate our tank.

You can order products you may need such as extra food which I would suggest you do early through sea monkeys.com on a mail order form.

The downside of that is yes they seem to be in the dark ages as far as ordering their products are concerned and it takes a really long time – – but you will receive your order in about six weeks if you follow all their directions.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

The Sea Monkey kit is a delight for all ages. The item arrived as described. The Sea Monkeys are busy swimming in their home.

Best Deals for My First Pet with Magic Portal

when we got this my daughter was really excited to grow them when we set it up it took about a month to grow but still grew

Honest reviews on My First Pet with Magic Portal

The magnifying glass on this makes it more enjoyable for a small child. Any child would love to have this pet to take care of.

Buy TOMY Little Chirpers Sorting Eggs Learning Toy

Customer Ratings:

I ordered it for my 2 grand kids, ages 3 and 1. I thought they would share it. Boy was I wrong, they both fought over it. The kids loved it. I wish I ordered two sets.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

This was a gift for my 11 month old. She loves to play with it and so does my 3.5 year old. Currently my 11 month old just likes to take the eggs out. The 3.5 year old likes to take the eggs apart, then match the colors, etc.

Best Deals for TOMY Little Chirpers Sorting Eggs Learning Toy

This toy is a fun learning toy for toddlers. It keeps them busy for quite a while, which is always nice for mom.

Honest reviews on TOMY Little Chirpers Sorting Eggs Learning Toy

baby plays with the toy a lot for a stretch of time, and she hasn't even started getting to shape and color sorting so this will grow with her. the 'chirp' part is kind of sad but on the plus side parents don't have to listen to lots of loud chirping continuously.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for TOMY Little Chirpers Sorting Eggs Learning Toy

ONE OF THE BEST TOYS i HAVE BOUGHT FOR MY GRANDSON AGED 10MONTHS...HE LOVES THEM. PLAYS WITH THEM CONSTANTLY AND HAS ALREADY LEARNED TO PUT IN CORRECT SPACES. EASILY GRASPED BY SMALL HANDS. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE. PLUS SUCH A GREAT PRICE AND EASY TO TAKE ON TRIPS ETC

Discount 2ND GRADE: Smart Guide to 2nd Grade

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $12.99
Sale Price: $8.94
Today's Bonus: 31% Off

The minute my daughter opened her Hanukkah present I knew that I picked a fun book for her LeapPad. The book offers a variety of fun games while learning math, ELA, geography, science, to name a few. Her favorite page is the one that teaches about the different states of matter (solid, liquid and gas). She was giggling hysterically while learning about gas.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

I purchased this for my 7 yr old daughter. She has used it a few times and seems to enjoy it. I just wish there were a few more pages covering vocabulary and sentence building. All in all it's a good start for covering a few basic 2nd grade subjects. Also, don't forget to have an erasable marker on hand.

Best Deals for 2ND GRADE: Smart Guide to 2nd Grade

We purchased this along with some other leap pad books and our 7 year old daughter can't put them down! Great product at an awesome price.

Mineral Test Kit; For rock, mineral, and fossil identification Reviews

Customer Ratings:

The plates are a good size and worth the low price for this kit; acid bottle is oval shaped, so useless.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Has everything a geologist/mineralogist needs but I wish it came in a case instead of a bag. Bonus: it comes with an ID information sheet for easy reference.

Best Deals for Mineral Test Kit; For rock, mineral, and fossil identification

Almost perfect set for a HS freshman Earth-Space Science course. I'd prefer a std 10x magnifier, but that would add to the cost.

LEGO Education DUPLO Tubes Experiment Set 779076 (147 Pieces) Review

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $109.95
Sale Price: $96.15
Today's Bonus: 13% Off

I have two boys, a 4.5 year old, and a 1.5 year old, and instantly when the package was opened, they loved it and were instantly engaged. Even a week later, it is still the first thing they go to.

Pros:

1. The tube pieces click together easily into shapes that are a lot like tube slides.

2. It comes with a LOT of duplo bricks.

3. It comes in its own storage tub (with only a plain cardboard box for packaging awesome!)

4. It comes with several tube supports, and optional "doors".

5. It is very easy to click together complex tubes.

Cons:

1. It realistically would entertain 2, not 4 children.

2. It comes with 1 "seesaw" piece. This causes contention if more than one is using this set.

3. I wish it came with 4 different colored balls (2 blue, one red, one yellow)

4. I wish it were a little more stable when clicking tubes between a horizontal piece and a vertical piece. It's a little fiddly / fragile.

5. The flag came with the wrong color, and one of the posts is slightly too thin the flag does not stay at the top.

Overall, this is an awesome set. We had a "my first duplo" set that was really too small and have now just combined it into this one.

I heartily recommend to anyone with children aged 1.5 5 who wants a lasting engaging, inspiring toy.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

This toy is super fun for kids from ages 1 1/2 and up. Parents and kids can get excited about the innovative formations you can build and toddlers can have a great time running the balls down the chutes.

It is a little pricey but otherwise a great toy!

Best Deals for LEGO Education DUPLO Tubes Experiment Set 779076 (147 Pieces)

My son saw this set in a photo and really wanted it for his 5th birthday. It was pricey, but since he kept asking for it I ordered it. He opened it today and it was a total disappointment. The tubes are very hard to connect together and they break apart very easily. If the child moves the tubes in the slightest, they fall apart. He very quickly lost interest and declared that he didn't like this toy and shouldn't have asked for it for his birthday (very sad). I wasn't much better at putting them together than he was, but I kept on trying long after he had given up on it. This is a child who loves to build Legos.

This certainly isn't up to par with the usual Lego Education sets. I'm going to return it.

On the other hand, he loves the Lego Education Duplo Tech Machines set 745002. I highly recommend that one.

Honest reviews on LEGO Education DUPLO Tubes Experiment Set 779076 (147 Pieces)

My son is three and a half and loves Lego duplos. This set is a great addition. The first week he had this set he played with it non-stop and now goes to it at least once a day.

Pros:

1. Educational

2. Works with other duplos

3. Set includes a lot of legos/ Lego people/ tubes and balls

4. Includes diagrams for building structures that, for my son, were pretty easy to duplicate just by looking at.

5. Includes a bin with lid for easy storage.

Cons:

1. My son struggled slightly to connect the tubes to legos without crumbling the structure. This frustrated him initially, but he has learned to more gentle. I realize this isn't really a con for my son, but could be for frustrating for a younger child.

2. Price. This set is expensive, but I felt the educational aspect justified it.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for LEGO Education DUPLO Tubes Experiment Set 779076 (147 Pieces)

Our two kids love this set. The two year old can connect all the tubes together without any problem. Best part is... it works with the regular duplo blocks so it works like an expansion set.

Reviews of Baby's First Words Flash Cards - Around the House

Customer Ratings:

My girls love these cards and get so excited when it is time to do the cards. My kids are 4 and almost 2. We do them everyday and it only takes a few minutes to do as you are flashing the cards fast and maybe spending more time talking about the picture than the word. Wish I had known about them before now. These would make a great gift. I would recomend them to a friend.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Best TRANSPARENT COUNTERS 250-PK 3/4 6 Deals

Customer Ratings:

Based on previous reviews, it appears the company has different ways it packages these counters. Some receive them pre-cut, some receive a limited selection of colors, so here's my experience with them. Mine were not pre-cut. They were all connected by a little piece of plastic that held them together by color. All 250 had to be separated which was done with a simple twist and they popped off, but it left them with sharp edges on at least two sides that had to be tediously cut off. That took me about 2 hours to do with a small blade, a mat, and a lot of patience. However, once I was done and my son was able to use them, he really enjoyed them. I received a good variety of colors, same as pictured, that work nicely on a light table for patterns, counters, blending colors (red + yellow = orange), addition, subtraction, and just having fun.

So it comes down to this: If you don't want to go through the hassle of the initial cutting stage with these counters then go for another brand. If you thoroughly enjoy cutting, these really are a good value for the price and your kids will probably enjoy them as much as mine.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

These counters are very small (3/4 inch diameter), but they are well made, and the colors are nice. The transparency allows for some exploration of color mixing, although this is limited by the small size, and the fact that the plastic is thick enough and the colors saturated enough that the mixed colors become quite dark.

Best Deals for TRANSPARENT COUNTERS 250-PK 3/4 6

These are wonderful, colorful math counters. I would like to comment that there are less yellow counters than any other color. If that makes a difference to you, you may need to order more of them so you have enough yellow ones.

Honest reviews on TRANSPARENT COUNTERS 250-PK 3/4 6

I got these counters for my son I am homeschooling. I had hesitated because of some other reviews that were less than stellar but went ahead and bought them. I wish I'd now purchased one of the other items amazon offers. First off, these counters are tiny. That in and of itself doesn't bother me--but the quality is very cheap. The plastic is brittle and you could hear the counters groaning as i broke them apart.Considering the fact that they weren't separated and had no container to keep them in, the price of this item is too high to be worthwhile. If you're looking at buying these counters? Spend a little more and get a better quality product. I wish I had.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for TRANSPARENT COUNTERS 250-PK 3/4 6

I bought these to use in my homeschool since I remembered using them in public school. They are perfect and exactly what I was looking for. The kids love using them and we have found many activities that they are perfect for , not only in math but also in phonics and handwriting! Love love love these!