Children’s Books for St. Patrick’s Day

'Tis lucky to find such a wonderful assortment of children's St. Patrick's Day books! With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, it's a perfect time to introduce your child to Irish culture. Whether you are Irish or not, it is important and fun to learn about new cultures and traditions. Learning about other cultures fosters appreciation and respect for differences. What better way is there for children to experience the beauty of Ireland and its culture than through a good book. In these delightful stories children will discover leprechauns, Irish history, limericks, folklore and yes, maybe even a pot of gold! These books are perfect to give as gifts or to read aloud in the classroom. Enjoy this charming selection of St. Patrick's Day books with your child.

For the complete selection of books, see Charming St. Patrick's Day Books For Children at www.littleones.com.

For additional Springtime themes along with recommended children's Easter, Spring & Earth Day books, please see the Little Ones Easter Special and the Little Ones Spring Special at www.littleones.com.

Halloween Recipes for Your Little Ghosts and Goblins

Halloween Recipes

Looking to whip up some Halloween fun?  Here are some great Halloween recipes that are perfect for parties, lunch boxes and the entire family.  So gather around the cauldron and cook up some Halloween fun!

One of our favorites is the Rice Krispies "Treat-O-Lanterns" listed below.  For more recipes, check out our Halloween Recipe Special Feature.

Rice Krispies "Treat-O-Lanterns"

  • 3 tablespoons margarine
  • 1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows or 4 cups of miniature marshmallows
  • 6 cups Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal
  1. Melt margarine in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. (You can tint your pumpkins orange. Mix red and yellow food coloring and add to marshmallow mixture).
  2. Add Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated. (Loyal chocolate lovers can substitute Kellogg's Cocoa Krispies cereal).
  3. Measure 1/2 cup warm mixture and shape into pumpkins. Makes 12 pumpkins.
  4. Create eyes, nose and mouth with candy such as M & Ms etc. Use a piece of licorice for the stem.
  5. Place on waxed paper to dry.

For more great Halloween ideas, please visit…

 The Little Ones Halloween Special

There's a chill in the air, and that can only mean one thing to little children. Halloween is coming soon! The Little Ones Halloween Special is here to assist with your Halloween preparations. Check out our selection of Halloween theme parties & games, spooky books, haunting Halloween recipes, Halloween jokes and more! Whether you are trick or treating with your little ones, hosting a Halloween party or just getting into the "spirit" of the holiday, our Halloween feature can help your family have a happy and safe Halloween!

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Magic Tree House Children’s Series: Leprechauns in Late Winter

Leprechauns in Late Winter (Magic Tree House Series), Mary Pope Osbourne

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day! Take a trip with Jack & Annie in their magical tree house to learn about Irish culture, traditions and a bit of history too!   Get whisked back in time to experience the beauty and charm of Ireland. In the Magic Tree House chapter book series, children are exposed to a variety of exciting historical events and time periods. Whether it be taking a trip to Ireland; traveling to the era of the dinosaurs; helping out soldiers in the Civil & Revolutionary Wars; getting shaken up in the San Francisco earthquake or saving lives on the Titanic, children will enjoy these amazing historical adventures. Best of all, they are learning topics straight from the Social Studies curriculum! You simply can't go wrong with any of the books from this extremely popular, five-star classic adventure series. Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with this delightful story and others from this wonderful, must read book series.

 

Discover leprechauns, Irish history, folklore and yes, maybe even a pot of gold at our special feature: Charming St. Patrick's Day Books For Children at www.littleones.com.

For additional Springtime themes along with recommended children's Easter, Spring & Earth Day books, please see the Little Ones Easter Special and the Little Ones Spring Special at www.littleones.com.

 


Visit www.littleones.com for our selection of  Great/Award Winning Children's Books, Little Ones Recommended Toys & Gifts,  Birthday Theme Parties  and  Baby Basics along with teacher tips, parenting articles, family fun and much more!

  

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Children’s Valentine’s Day TV Specials 2014

Enjoy watching children's Valentine's Day TV specials starting on Monday, February 10th on PBS Kids. PBS will be airing a variety of Valentine's Day episodes starring all of your child's favorite PBS characters. Tune in during your regularly scheduled PBS times to view these heart-warming episodes all week long. In addition, don't miss the Peanuts' double-header of Be My Valentine Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown Valentine airing back to back on Friday, February 14th on ABC from 8pm-9pm, Eastern/Pacific times. Mark it down on your family calendar so you can enjoy this special event with your kids.

While watching the Peanuts special together is lots of fun, don't just let the TV be your entertainment. You can spend some time with your kids while promoting reading skills by sharing Valentine's books together, or playing a family board game. Making Valentine's crafts, decorating cards and baking Valentine's treats are also great bonding activities. Since Valentine's Day falls on a Friday, it is a perfect opportunity to say I LOVE YOU by simply enjoying time together. You are sure to find that Valentine's chocolates simply can't compare with the sweetness of being together. 

Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

See the Little Ones Valentine's Day Special for Valentine's Day books, recipes and adorable Valentine's crafts. These Valentine's Day links include:

Valentine's Day Books They'll Love: These darling Valentine's books are perfect gifts for you & your special Valentine to read together.

 

Valentine's Day Board Books (Baby & Tots)

Valentine's Day Read Aloud/Picture Books (Preschool & Elementary School)

Valentine's Day Chapter Books (Elementary School)

 

Valentine's Day Recipes For Families Cook up some Valentine's Day fun with these simple, kid-friendly recipes.


Creative Ways For Kids to Say "I Love You"
Ten fun-filled Valentine's activities and crafts that come straight from the heart.

 

Precious, Personalized Valentine's Day Craft for Kids: A unique selection of packaged, easy to make craft kits for children. Awesome products with great results.


Visit www.littleones.com for our selection of  Great/Award Winning Children's Books, Little Ones Recommended Toys & Gifts,  Birthday Theme Parties  and  Baby Basics along with teacher tips, parenting articles, family fun and much more!

  

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2013 Top Holiday Toys For Babies

Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube

We've updated our list of highly recommended and top-notch baby toys from birth-2 years guaranteed to thrill the little ones on your holiday list. Each of these top selling baby toys have won prestigious toy and parenting awards based on quality, creativity, educational value and/or entertainment value. All toys have also received outstanding consumer ratings and, best of all, are reasonably priced.

Tips for selecting baby toys: Babies are master learners! Promote & support your baby's learning with stimulating toys that closely match their level of development. Start with eye catching and musical toys for the youngest ones who can listen, observe and are developing the ability to "bat" at toys to make movement. Toys which hang from car seats or lightweight rattles are a perfect choice. One babies are able to sit up on their own or be propped up, a whole new world of toy choices are available. Babies learn through introduction to new textures, manipulation of objects, trial and error, sights and sounds, and simple content such as songs which teach letters, numbers, colors etc. Gross motor, as well as fine motor skills, can be practiced when mobile children can carry small toys, stand by an activity table and dance around to musical toys. Interactive toys are a great choice for older children who want to do more! For toys suited for older children, please see Top Holiday Toys for Toddlers.

1.  Lamaze Jacques the Peacock or Lamaze Mortimer the Moose  Award winners! These brightly colored plush toys are both cuddly and entertaining. Stimulating colors, textures and crunching sounds make this a truly interactive toy even for the youngest babies. Different animals feature built-in teethers, peek-a-boo mirrors and more! An attached clip makes them easy to hang on a car seat, stroller or to take along. Many adorable varieties available. Babies absolutely love them!

2. Baby Einstein Takealong Tunes Baby's favorite! Award winner! Colorful toy plays 7 soothing classical melodies while gentle lights dance to the music. Designed for little hands with a large easy to press music button and adorable caterpillar handle for carrying. Adjustable volume switch. A great value at a reasonable price!

3. Baby Einstein Bendy Ball Award winner! This reasonably priced, soft & flexible ball absolutely fascinates even the littlest ones! It's easy to grasp, bend and squeeze, plus it has a rattle ball in the middle to provide additional sight and sound stimulation. A simple yet wonderful product.

4. Vulli Sophie the Giraffe Teether  Award winner! This toy-teether consistently tops Amazon's Baby best seller list! Babies are attracted to Sophie's bright spots, enjoy chewing on Sophie's easy to grasp limbs & neck, and love its pleasant squeaker. Believe it or not, this favorite has been around since 1961. And don't worry, Sophie meets all safety standards. Just read the glowing reviews at Amazon of this extremely popular product.

5. Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn: Learning Kitchen   Award winner! Fun-filled kitchen teaches your child sorting, opposites, vocabulary and more.  Lots of ways to play and large pieces to manipulate.  Encourages pretend play and interaction.  Multi-sensory play includes learning in English and Spanish, musical selections and tactile stimulation.  Ages 6 months to 3 years.

6. LeapFrog My Pal Violet or LeapFrog My Pal Scout (Green). Award winner! Adorable plush puppy which can be customized to learn your child's name and favorite things via a simple computer download. Plays lullabies, learning songs and teaches numbers, animals, food and more. Select from an additional 30 songs online. Awesome cuddly and educational toy for ages 6 months- 2+ years.

7. Munchkin Mozart Magic CubeMunchkin Mozart Magic Cube Award winning interactive musical cube lets little ones create 8 Mozart masterpieces. Cube sides include the harp, French horn, piano, flute, and violin which light up and play instrument sounds. Sounds can be played solo or added together to create a symphony. Features soft rounded edges and durable design. Fascinating musical toy for the wee ones!

8. LeapFrog® Learn & Groove Musical Table Award winner! Music, learning & fun rolled into one! Choose from this amazing toy's words or music options. Learn about ABCs, colors, opposites, counting to 10 and primary shapes or play on piano keys, tap the drum, groove to over 40 songs and melodies, and listen to nursery rhymes & instrument sounds. Flip a switch to change from English to Spanish. Best of all, this toy grows with your child. It sits flat on the floor for babies and adjusts to toddler play by adding included table legs. Provides hours upon hours of visual, auditory and fine motor stimulation and skills practice. An educational wonderland sure to delight little ones from 6 months- 2+ years. Other LeapFrog Learn & Groove Instruments available.

Also recommended: Baby Einstein Discover and Play Piano Award winner! This pleasant sounding first piano teaches babies instruments, composing music and counting to 5 in English, Spanish & French. Encourages fine motor development while providing auditory, visual and language stimulation.

9. Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Baby's First Blocks Award winner! A simple, yet wonderful shape sorter for babies. Provides endless fun & learning as babies sort, stack, identify and match shapes. Babies love filling up the bucket and dumping it out, dropping the shapes through the shape sorter lid or using the handle to carry around their fun. Great for hand-eye coordination, recognition and problem solving skills. Includes 10 brightly colored blocks. Reasonably priced. Ages 6 months-3 years.

10. Playskool Explore and Grow Busy Ball Popper Award winner! Loads of sensory fun and gross motor skills practice with this lively interactive toy. Colorful balls spiral down the track and pop up the air powered tube at the press of the big mushroom button. 8 upbeat songs along with sound effects invite your child to dance, giggle, put & take balls and have fun discovering the concept of cause and effect. Surely a favorite for ages 9 months- 2+ years.


Also see Little Ones Baby Toy Picks for our complete selection of recommended toys.

 

Little Ones
Best/Award Winning Baby Toys


For additional info, we recommend:

Amazon's Top 100 Best Selling Baby Toys & Products

Books For Babies 

Toys For LIttle Fingers (Toddler)

Electronic Learning Toys and

Children's Educational DVDs & Music CDs.

Visit www.littleones.com for our selection of  Great/Award Winning Children's Books, Little Ones Recommended Toys & Gifts,  Birthday Theme Parties  and Baby Basics, along with teacher tips, parenting articles, family fun and much more!

 

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Thanksgiving Books for Children 2013

Thanksgiving is an American holiday rich in history and traditions. It is the perfect time to give your children an appreciation for the true meaning behind this special day of thanks. Thanksgiving books & DVDs are wonderful tools to teach children about the spirit of thankfulness while introducing them to the formation of our nation. The characters and events in Thanksgiving books provide children with important historical background that is explored throughout the Social Studies curriculum.  In this selection of board books, picture books and chapter books, Thanksgiving is depicted as a time to be thankful and truly happy with our many blessings. While it is common for young children to want more, it is so important for them to be grateful for what they already have, and to remember others who are less fortunate. This superb selection of books provides the opportunity to read together, reflect upon valuable life lessons, and most importantly, to teach children to count their blessings!

Enjoy these appetizing Thanksgiving books and DVDs with your children, and Have a truly thankful & Happy Thanksgiving!

See the complete selection of Little Ones Children's Thanksgiving Books & DVDs along with helpful holiday hints in our Thanksgiving Special Feature.

 

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Amazon Introduces Kindle Fire HDX and Lower-Priced Kindle Fire HD for Kids

Amazon has officially announced the new 2013 Kindle Fire HDX and new lower prices for the Kindle Fire HD!  These products keep getting better, and Amazon continues to add features for parents and their kids.  Amazon has improved these kid-friendly tablets with two new Kindle HDX models and enhanced Kindle HD models along with an ever-expanding set of children's book

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Back to School Basics: The Importance of Routines

The school year has officially begun. Teachers spend a good amount of time the first few days of class explaining classroom routines as well as their expectations. Why do they do this? In short, it makes the year run smoothly. It helps children know exactly what to expect and how to follow the teacher's classroom schedule. There are plenty of

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