Reviews of Not Your Parents' Money Book: Making, Saving, and Spending Your

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The financial crisis that dragged the U.S. economy into a deep recession and had spillover effects around the world continues to dominate the headlines. Much debate has focused on finding ways to reduce the damage today and prevent a similar meltdown from happening in the future. Empowering our youth with financial literacy constitutes an important strategy that has begun to receive attention in the media.

In explaining concepts like recession, unemployment, and debt in engaging and clear terms, Not Your Parents' Money Book fills this niche and helps young readers gain more familiarity with their own roles as savers, consumers, and workers. Added to the mix are some humorous vignettes to keep the readers' attention, such as the life span of the germs that pass from people to dollar bills, and the incidence of and punishment for counterfeiting money.

In writing this book, author Jean Chatzky, the financial editor for the Today show and frequent contributor to other talk shows and media sources, drew on her expertise in personal finance as well as research from a series of focus group interviews with middle school students. The result is an easy-to-read crash course in economics and finance that will encourage readers to become savvier consumers and more informed about the economic world around them.

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Great information even for adults who have missed out on the financial knowledge that is needed in our current society. Geared for the young teenager, I found the drawings and illustrations likely more acceptable to the 12 yr old than the 17 yr old even through the narrative is appropriate for all. This is a shame as the older teenagers likely missed out and need to read it also.

This could be used as a text for homeschooling and appropriate high school classes.

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I have read a number of books written by Jean Chatzky and was excited to see she has written a book about money for teenagers, "Not Your Parents' Money Book". Jean is the financial editor for the Today show and frequent contributor to other talk shows and media sourcres.

As part of the research for the book, she met with groups of kids at middle schools across the country and them questions about what they know about money and things they want to know about money. The book is peppered with questions from kids and her answers to their questions. Also included in the book are fun facts and quizzes about money.

There are chapters about earning money, spending money and saving money. She gives ideas of ways to earn money besides the regular babysitting and cutting lawns and discusses the different vehicles for saving the money you earn.

She also discusses and explains investing and ways to invest. Many of the money related words are highlighted in the book and defined in the glossary at the end of the book. So if there are words that you do not understand you can jump to the glossary and look it up. She also discusses the economy and recession, which may be words that kids hear about and may not know what they mean.

Also included in the end of the book are sections on the history of money and how money is made.

The book is concluded by a list of web resources for more information. The websites include informational websites as well as websites that have games and puzzles pertaining to money and finances.

As with other topics it may be easier for kids to learn if they do not think they are actually learning anything, making it fun to learn.

This is a great resource to teach kids about the important subject of dealing with money and finances. It is about 150 pages and a quick and easy read.

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I liked this book because, as my 11 year old son and I were reading it together, I realized how little he actually knew about wages, credit, debt, investing, spending, saving...and they don't really teach this in schools. After a few chapters, he asked me to keep reading because he was truly interested in all these subjects. It has started a long and productive discussion about money that I'm sure we will continue for many years. I would definitely recommend this to tweens and teens.

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My daughter laughed at me and didn't want to even touch this book, when I got it. I insisted that she reads every single page of this book.She did and ....right after she finished reading, her very first words were " can I get a job" :)

The book not only educates about the role that money plays in your life ,but also motivates to start earning and saving your money.

I like this book a lot and will recommend it to everyone.

Leapfrog Leapster Learning Game: Creature Create Review

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List Price: $24.99
Sale Price: $6.99
Today's Bonus: 72% Off

This game is great! Both my 2 (almost 3 year old) and my 5 1/2 year old sons LOVE this game and they can both do it. They often feud over this one and we have had to resort to major turn taking over this game. It is great as it teaches lots of cool stuff, plus they can really enjoy just being goofy and creative making all sorts of different creatures! This game is #1 at our house!

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This game was good. I had bought it for my at the time 2 1/2 year old daughter. She is very bright and catches on to things quickly. This game amazed me what it taught her. I have personally played it and find it kind of fun. I am not quite sure the object of the game. I think it is to decorate the monster's house how you like it. The thing that is challenging is that you have to put shapes together in a certain way to make each and every thing. Like for instance the house. There are triangles, squares, hectagon, etc that go together into the shape of a big triangle. After putting the house together you get to design the outside, like color it or put patterns on it. Then you go inside and create the rooms by putting shapes together again. While you are making the items for inside the house it says the shape of each block. It gets more challenging as you increase the level for the child. You eventually have to start turning and flipping pieces with more sides to them to make it fit. There are timed games etc. Overall this game definitely does offer something for your children that the other games do not for the age group.

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It's nothing special my 5 y.o played it for a day or so and then put it aside for good. The game may be of certain interest for younger kids, perhaps, 4 y.o. Graphics are pretty much standard and of a good quality.

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I was pleased to find that my 4 year old likes this game and plays it often. It's interesting and there are lots of things to create and do in this game. I like it because its not annoying or violent and it lets her use her imagination.

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Our four year old loves this game! He especially enjoys putting together the puzzles of the creatures and creating the different creatures. He also enjoys building the creatures homes. I would recommend this toy.

4M Dino Robot Kit Review

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My daughter wanted this for christmas. She is 14 and thought it was cool. I was surprised that it was just made out of cardboard and didn't really stay together all that well. Looks a lot cooler on the box then it really is.

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And practical -it works. It is not a child's toy, although after an adult puts it together, any child will be amused.

Discount Word Whiz Electronic Flash Cards

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To give a little background, my son is 4.5. However, he is more advance in reading, so even though he was under the age requirement, Level 1 was a great fit for him. He did come across words that he didn't recognize, such as par and jot, but this opened the door for us to discuss new words and their meaning. At this time, he doesn't get a lot done in a minute, but there is no set goal that he is required to reach. This allows him to challenge himself by trying to beat his previous record. Being the perfectionist that he is, there are times that he gets frustrated with himself for not doing better than his previous score or selecting the wrong letter. As we always do, we just remind him that its ok if you make mistakes and to just have fun.

So, here is my honest opinion:

Simple to Use Everything you need is right on the front. A switch for changing levels and two buttons for selecting words.

Grows with the Child It offers 3 different levels that increase the length of words as well as difficulty (incorporating blends).

Portable Entertainment It is small and you can take it just about anywhere. It would make a great addition to your travel game collection.

Fun for ALL Ages After the boy went to bed, my husband and I had fun competing against each other to see who could build the most words correctly in 60 seconds.

Overall, this is a great little product. I give it my full recommendation. Parents have countless options for their kids in the "mindless games" category. This is a fun, affordable game that also works the brain.

*******************

The product was provided to me at no cost for review, by Learning Resources. All opinions expressed are my own.

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I bought this for my 8 year old son (who has dyslexia) to help him with his spelling and reading. He has only used it a few times and his biggest issue is that the letter are hard to read. Since he has such a tough time reading the letters, his interest in it is limited at best. I have tried it myself, and the letters are hard to read (black on dark gray background. There is no back light or brightness adjustment on it either.

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My grand daughter LOVES this game. She is excellent with cross word puzzles et al (at age 10) and this game was a perfect gift to her. Well packaged and there was no damage. Received earlier than was scheduled by Amazon. Always happy with Amazon and their partners!

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I was expecting something a bit more challenging since my son is a struggling reader, as so many students are just passed along. I thought it was more of a phonetic product. I used it for my students in my classroom instead.

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This would be a much more useful learn to read/spell machine if it spoke the word you were trying to make. That would make it less fun for adults (of course you can turn the sound off), but as it is, it is more like a guessing, rather than learning, game for my son.

Discount Cross Signature Journal, Medium, Blue and Light Blue (AC236-5M)

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It can be an ordinary journal but it comes with a Cross pen, maybe not the finest but with the same ink and mechanism of a high end.

Its the classy way to take notes!

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Microscope Slide Making Set - Advanced Level AA Review

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This kit contained more that I expected and is suitable for some near professional results.

All I need now is more practice and time!

I added a few other stains to this collection some that are offered on Amazon also...

The Vital Stain Kit 6 Different Stains... Aldon Corp.

Nice Kit! Both of them

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I received my kit a couple of days ago and was amazed at the quality of the products. The instruments are exceptional and the supples are all you should need.

Buy Melissa & Doug Learn-To-Play Piano

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Our nine-month old loves his little piano. Here he is sharing his first composition.

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We got this piano for our two boys (4 & 2-1/2) to help them begin to learn how to play music. This piano makes it so easy for them with the colored key code that fits above the keys so that they can follow along with the music book. The look on their faces as they play (and sing along) with the songs is absolutely adorable!

For us, we found the sound of the piano to be fine no issues. One nice thing is that it's just loud enough...if you know what I mean. This keeps them occupied for hours on end.

Five stars for this purchase you won't be disappointed with this piano...and your kids will love it!!!

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My Mom insisted on buying this for my 1 year old twins even though it suggests that it is suitable for 3 years and up. Well, they love it. They hammer on it, stand on it and pull it over. It is very robust. It is sufficiently in tune to play your favorite songs and comes with a handy little song book (probably more use to a 3 year old than my 1 year olds).

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I purchased this piano for my one-year-old niece, who loves music. It has quickly become one of her favorite toys, which will no doubt provide entertainment for her for years to come.

The bright colors are adorable and the sound quality is pretty darn good for a toy. Highly recommend!

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When I first got this piano, the thing that bothered me was that the notes at the top of the keys is just a sheet of paper, barely glued on. I didn't know it was like this till a one-year old started picking at it, when I discovered it's only tacked by glue at either end. So, with a paintbrush, I glued it in and there it stayed. Then today, the whole thing fell apart when my tweenage son picked it up to move it. Keys, panels and everything just fell apart when it was picked up it's as if the glue gave out. It's just not made well. It's glued together with pegs. Melissa and Doug, you've disappointed me. I paid full-price for this item, and didn't mind because of the M&D brand name and thought we'd have it for years. We've had it for less than 6 months. I see it is now about 22 dollars less...

The SpikerBox Reviews

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This is not a toy it is a scaled down version of the kind of expensive equipment that a scientist would use to monitor the activity of the nervous system. I am a neuroscientist, and I purchased two SpikerBoxes. Individually they allow my undergraduate students to hear neurons firing. Paired with a computer (and some free software such as Audacity) or with an iphone (and a free app from Backyard Brains) the SpikerBoxes allow my students to see neural impulses. When "piggy-backed" with a simple adapter kit available from the makers the two SpikerBoxes serve as a two-channel differential amplifier that (when coupled with a computer) allows the speed of neural signals to be measured. I have successfully recorded action potentials ("spikes") from cockroaches, adult meal worms, and earthworms.

There is considerable discussion about whether these invertebrates feel pain, or anything else for that matter. (Yes, they react to various stimuli, but whether they have any subjective experience that might be called "feeling" is very difficult to determine.) The makers of the SpikerBox are sensitive to this, and encourage the anesthetization of the invertebrates as they are prepared for use. I agree with this approach, and urge adults to review the proposed methods of anesthetization (ice water, alcohol, or even soda water) and oversee the use of the device by children. Used properly, the SpikerBox will not only teach people about the nervous system, but it will also encourage respect for, and the proper treatment of, nonhuman animals used for research.

All in all, a great product that might lead more students into neuroscience.

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We bought this product for our son to do science experiment. It helped my son to understand core principles of neuroscience easily. We are happy to get this kind of practical exposure at a reasonable cost and when we had questions backyardbrains cofounder Greg helped us with answers quickly and very approachable. we would recommend this anyone who has interest in NeuroScience

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This is a totally amazing product the first comercially available cyborg in a kit! I'm suitably impressed. As a toy, it's got some great educational value. As a research tool wow, what a steal. I think everyone should give this a go.

Review of Trophy Clave Pair

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List Price: $4.95
Sale Price: $3.39
Today's Bonus: 32% Off

I have an assortment of musical toys for my toddler-xylophone, drum, etc. These claves are very smooth and nice looking, have great sound, and are cheap! Plus, we can use them in place of lost mallets on the xylophone and drum (and pots, and the cat... no, not the cat). Anyway, if you need to add a few bucks to an order for free shipping, definitely toss these in your cart!

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These claves sound better than pairs I've purchased for 10 times the price (shame on me!).

What a great deal! Highly recommended to anyone who wants not only a "beginners" instrument,

but anyone who is into serious percussion instruments. These are awesome. Crisp, sharp sound.

A nice addition to any musical ensemble.

Discount Hape - Little Dump Truck - Solid Maple in Green

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Overall I really like this dump truck. It rolls well on tile floors & thin carpeting and my daughter has had a lot of fun playing with it so far. It's made of solid wood with water based paints so I like that it's a safer option than plastic. My only complaint is that the paint lacks durability. The truck arrived with a couple chips in the paint initially and after just a short period of gentle play had several more.

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My 1 year old son loves it. Made very well and extremely durable. Will be a toy I will save for years! Would purchase more toys like this.

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Nice toy. Well made.good for little ones that are just starting to crawl. My son loved it until he was about 18-2yr. Then he preferred his more detailed toys.

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Nice quality solid construction and no issues with paint coming off or parts breaking so far (a few months after purchase). Also bought the Little Copter and Little Plane. Of the three, the Little Copter is my 12mo old's favorite, I think because of the propeller. But if you are interested in getting multiple pieces I do recommend the whole set. Very pleased with the Hape products I have purchased.

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My best friend's kids are going to LOVE this gift! It's simple but has endless possibilities for playtime. Got the whole set for them!

Discount LEGO Education Wheels Set 779387 (286 Pieces)

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OK, I admit it, I vacuum up a lot of Legos. When I notice I've done this, I try to go through the dust cup and fish them out. However, sometimes, when it is really full, I just can't bring myself to do it. This leads me back to the title of this review, you can never have enough wheels, or axles for that matter. When you buy a Lego set that has a car in it, they don't give you extra wheels, so if you have vacuuming *issues* like I do, you NEED this set.

This set comes with 3 different sized wheels (and hubs), I know the description says 4, but it is wrong. You will also find fixed sized axles, and half axles that can be placed on a car as far apart as you want them to be so that you can make cars of varying widths. In addition, you will find windshields, steering wheels, flat plates for creating the base of the car and little angled pieces for putting on the sides of the tires to make it look like they have fenders.

You will need additional Lego pieces for creating the rest of the car(s). For most of us parents that won't be a problem, just lift up the couch and sweep out all the Lego pieces that have migrated under there. I'm sure you will find enough to create the rest of the bodies for these cars. The enclosed pieces are enough to make 12 chassis at one time. In addition to the crazy cars my boys have created using these pieces, they have also used this set for replacement parts for all their police and fire vehicles from the Lego City sets.

Pay close attention to the product picture so you know exactly what you are getting. If you do not have lots of Legos already at your house and you are looking for a complete set for building vehicles, you may want to look at a different product. Here is one that may interest you: LEGO Bricks and More Fun with Vehicles 4635. Set 4635 won't make as many vehicles at once, but it is a complete set with instructions for all the vehicles shown on the box. The Lego Wheel set is more for those that are looking to create their own designs and for those looking for replacement parts.

Remember, you are never too old to play with Legos!

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Partial list of contents: Qty (4) wheels that are 1-1/8" diameter, Qty (28) wheels that are 13/16" , Qty (16) wheels that are 9/16", Qty (4) "small" windshields, and Qty. (4) "large" windshields, Qty. (12) steering wheels. Numerous grey colored plates for car chassis, colored pieces for fenders, axels. This set only includes the parts to create the "frame" of the car (i.e. wheels, windshields, chassis, fenders, axels,and steering wheels). You'll need additional Lego pieces to create the bodies of the cars. The product description listed on Amazon says there are four wheel sizes, but I think that's a mistake and there are only three sizes.

My sons (ages 6, 4, 3) enjoy creating new cars for their Lego men. Or, they simply attach wheels to a Lego man so he can roll. I think these are great because kids can use their creativity to build simple cars without the blueprints of more complex Lego sets.

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In our house, the 4 adults play with legos more than the one child. We had created many things with the base set that the child got for Christmas, but we were starting to come to the end of the possibilities. I realized that what we really needed was wheels and axles. This pack is awesome! Several different sizes of wheels/tires. Comes with a bunch of thin chassis pieces. The day this came in the mail, we spend several hours creating 10 12 vehicles. Our lego love is renewed.

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My boys love legos and this set is a welcome addition. No more intense negotiations and arguing over who gets the wheels. There are few things more fun than seeing your children creating something. This set has all the pieces that are in high demand when children are in the lego building business.

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Bought this for my kids for Christmas. It makes at least 11 vehicles. My kids love building cars, trains, and trucks but the regular sets often don't have wheels. My hubby tested the kit last night and made lots of vehicles to put in stockings and said it was a great kit. If you don't own enough regular legos already, buy a bricks set along with this wheel set.

Discount Mova Blue 8.5 diam. in. Natural Earth Globe with Political Map

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I bought this for my wife as a replace for her last globe and found that this is actually a globe wrapped in a clear plastic ball. You can't physically spin the globe since it is suspended in liquid. It is a neat concept and works great in indirect sunlight. It starts to spin on its own inside the fluid-filled ball, which gives it the appearance that it is levitating. It's expensive, but a nice concept.

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Buy Carson Dellosa Student Number Lines Desk Tape (4421)

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List Price: $9.99
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These number lines are fantastic, especially for children with special needs. The numbers are color coded--blue even, and red odd. The lines go up to the number 30, unlike many others that only go to the number 20. Moreover, it fits across a standard size student desk. You can easily tape it down, making it easy and convenient for students to use during math. Two thumbs up for these number lines!

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Best LeapPad Software -1ST GRADE: Spider-Man Deals

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I had to buy my 4 year old a new Leap Pad after his old one wore out. He is currently obsessed with Spiderman so I grabbed this one. I didn't realize it came with the Spiderman book I was going to buy him soon anyway (saved me $15)! So far the new Leap Pad and Spiderman book have been a huge hit!

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This is the first leap book that my son would read. Although he likes the idea of Tad and the other creatures and will gladly sit and be read to for an hour, the 3 other books we have get maybe 5 minutes of his attention. This is the first one he will sit down and read/play by himself for 30 minutes or more (He is super hero obsessed). I wanted the Superman one but after reading the reviews of it decided on this because it will read individual words and is more on his level (just 6 and starting 1st grade in the fall). There are some great games that encourage visual distiction and have some really interesting facts about spiders and some good letter sound stuff too. I love it, he loves it, and I wish they would do more comic based stuff as it goes over great here.

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My 4 year old was thrilled with this toy. He can use it on a limited basis now and continue to enjoy it as he gets older.

It appears to be very sturdy and lets him develop reading readiness skills. Plus, this is a Spider Man tie in product that exceeds most of the others on display in the stores.

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My boys, ages 5 and 7, love this! My 5 year old has been using it constantly, often spending an hour at a time with it. A much better choice than TV or video games when you don't have time to spend reading a real book to them.

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Our first foray into LeapFrog was when our oldest turned three. She both loved and learned from the My First LeapPad (ages 3 to 5) we got her. So when she turned four, my mother bought her the full-fledged LeapPad Learning System that you see here. According to the box in which it came, it is suppose to be age appropriate for kids 4 and up.

Compared to the My First LeapPad, my daughter finds this version for older kids more difficult to manage. Not so much the activities and learning activities, but rather the larger sized activity pad, activity books that are not as durable, cartridges that are more difficult for a four year-old-to handle, and basically a host of other small things.

So while my four-year-old will use this system when my wife and I (or other adult relatives) are around, on her own she prefers the My First LeapPad that she finds much more manageable as a four year old.

That being said, I still give it four stars because some of my daughter's friends, who are a year or two older than her, love this this system and handle it just fine. Also, month-by-month my daughter is starting to handle this system a lot better.

Anyway, if your child is over and four and you don't have the version for younger kids, it would probably be worth it to start them on this system. If you child is only three, however, get the My First LeapPad. And if you have the version for younger kids and are thinking up upgrading to this version, wait until your child has outgrown the first one.