Personalised Story Books IandMyStory Review and Giveaway

Today's post is a review and giveaway of Personalised Story Books by 'I and My Story', a company based in India. Keep reading to find out how three of you can win a book too!

Just like all kids my daughter loves to be the center of attention!  She thinks the world revolves around her, and guess what?  She is right.  At least my world revolves around her, and I like to make her feel special with every chance I get. So, personalised gifts are popular in our house. And my daughter loves to read and loves to be read to. So, when I was given a chance to review Personalised Story books by I and My Story I was really excited. All the stories are written and illustrated by local Authors and illustrators in India. The books are printed on fine European Art paper, with a wipe able hard cover and are of A4 size. They have 8 lovely titles for you to choose from. These books are available for level one, lighter content (junior-needing reading help) and level 2. The flow of the stories remains same. Text and content is adapted for different age groups, illustrations and book size remains the same. The ordering process is easy too. Our books were ready to be shipped within 2 days of the order. We recieved our books very fast considering the fact that it was international shipping. 

I gave my daughter her new books to read when she got back from school. She picked them with great excitement and went to her room. What she didn’t know was the book had her name used throughout the book and also had her friends names. It also had her photo in the inside page. She started exploring the book and within seconds she came bolting into the living room full of excitement "Amma, look! this book has my photo in it. How did that happen? and how the heck does this book know my name! My name is in this book". It was funny and very cute. 

So, we sat down together and read both the books. When she heard her name, she got so excited and smiled from ear to ear. Then, she kept pointing to the little girl in the book, saying "Me!" She was thrilled to find her best friend's names in the book. 

Putti and I have spent countless hours since receiving these books, just looking at the beautiful illustrations and reading it over and over. This book has become a keepsake that will be cherished for years to come. She has read this to her animal friends too!

She has taken the books to her preschool to show it to her friends whose names were mentioned in the storybooks. The teacher told me they too were wide-eyed with wonder. They were equally thrilled to see their names in the books. They read the stories together and kept pointing to each others names in the book. 

The book itself got high marks from me, as it was made very well and will hold up to the rigors of being handled by a kid. The dedication on the inside page is very special.

 

I have always wanted to send these Personalised books to my nephews and nieces in India for their birthdays and other Holidays.  But, the high shipping costs always stopped me from that and I had to wait until we visited them which is not often. But, with 'I and My Story' which is India that problem is solved for me and for many other NRI's like me. Shipping charges all over India is just Rs 60/- , isnt that wonderful. I can’t wait to surprise Putti’s cousins with books of their own !

I’ve been so pleased with the I and My Story books that Ie recommend them to anyone looking for the perfect children’s gift. The books are a true keepsake that will be treasured in years to come and That’s why I’m excited to offer the giveaway below. And now for the giveaway!

Update: The winners of the giveaway are entry #46 Kim Vij, #70 Deepa and #2 Archana. Congratulations!! 
Three of you can win a copy each of ‘I and my Story’ books if you have an Indian Shipping address   And, once you win, you can choose the book title for your child, send his/her photo (optional), name/s, message and the personalized storybook will be delivered to you in India via the office of ‘I and My Story’. Just enter in the Rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Note: If you are having trouble entering the Rafflecopter form leave a blog comment letting me know so and how many of the entries you have completed along with your email. 

Disclaimer: We were sent 2 books for free for review purpose. All opinions expressed are unbiased and my own. 

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Explore the World with your Kids #readforgood

It is week 6 at the MeMeTales Readathon! This week travel around the world with your kids for the Global Culture theme this week. Teaching your kids about world cultures helps them appreciate the differences in people and their traditions. MeMeTales has just the right books for you to get started. Click on the photos to    read the book.

     

  

We have always had a Map of the World on the wall at Putti's eye level. When she was a couple of months old, I used to hold her in my arms and walk around the house talking about various things including the map on her wall. I would point out to various countries and tell her that is where her grandparents live, her uncles live etc. As months passed by she started pointing out to things. Then while I was talking to her about the map, she would at times point to some country and I would say "Oh yes! that is Argentina" or something like that. I had no intention of teaching my girl geography at that age, but she loved to listen to me talk and I would talk about anything around the house including the map:) This really caught her interest as she grew and could point to about 20+ countries on the World Map before she turned 2! The map and the globe are still one of her favorite things to play.

I have not done anything further, but intend to explore the world with her, maybe study one country each month. Here are some Simple tips to Travel around the globe without ever needing a suitcase. Change them as suitable for your kid's age and interest.

1. Have a map in the house and use push pins to illustrate where a country's located. Every time you learn about a new country, use another push pin on your world map. 
2. Learn about the Flag of the country and try and make one. A rolled paper flag would be very easy to make and color.
3. Learn about the weather in other countries to learn what it's like for other kids who live there.
4. Create or wear the types of crafts you would find in that country. Beadwork, clothing, origami -- the possibilities are endless. 
5. Learn what each country's official language is. Try to learn a couple basic words in that language. 
6. Keep a calendar of upcoming holidays celebrated in other countries.Teach your child about the history of each holiday too. When did it begin? Why? Decorate your home for their holidays.
7. Learn about each country's marketplace through pictures and articles. Search YouTube for videos of street markets in other countries. You'll be surprised at how much your child can learn about world cultures from thousands of miles away through many resources you can find online.
8. Cook authentic recipes together. Find what foods are popular in the country. Check out 'Around the World in 12 Dishes'.
9. Search for a pen pal in the country you're learning about with your child. There are many free websites that will match your child with pen pals around the world.  This is also a hidden lesson in language arts and social studies.
10. Learning about each culture's etiquette can be enlightening. Try practicing a country's dos and don'ts of etiquette for a day or week.

Did you enjoy this post? Consider following Putti's World via our Facebook page. We are sure to have many fun ideas to share!

Disclosure: I will be receiving the books that I feature from MeMeTales in exchange for sharing our fun ideas each week. 
MeMeTales has a fun giveaway for US readers – use the rafflecopter form below to enter! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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The Five Little Ducklings Puppets - Readathon 2012 Week 1 #readforgood

Last week I mentioned about the Summer Readathon 2012 at MeMeTales in collaboration with PBS. The book theme for this week is Animals.  Today I will share with you a simple puppets we made after we read the book, Five Little Ducklings. 

 

First, I let Putti, trace 3 circles on a piece of white paper using a cup and cut them out. And then one Big circle for the mommy duck. Then cut the circles into half, of which we need 5 little semi circles and 1 big semi circle which are the bodies of our ducks. Then cut 5 little circles and 1 bigger circle for the heads. Putti colored all of them yellow. And while she was coloring, I cut out some triangles for the beaks, again 5 small and 1 big. These are the parts required for our ducks.

Then, Putti glued one circle to one semi circle and then added a beak. She then went to draw eyes and insisted that ducks need to have a nose and mouth too:)

Finally, she glued these onto craft sticks, so that she could hold them and retell the story and have her own puppet show! 

Puppets are a great way to get little kids involved in stories and a wonderful hands on method to involve the younger children  and promote a love of reading! Please Visit MeMeTales for more activities shared by other bloggers for the book. 

Five Little Ducklings 

See more at memetales

And don't forget to register and read books online or on your iphone/ipad. MeMeTales also offers a curriculum package each week for activity extensions for the theme, exclusively to Readathon participants!

Disclaimer – I will be receiving the books that I feature from MeMeTales in exchange for sharing our fun ideas each week and promoting the Summer Readathon.

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Readathon 2012 !

I am so excited to share with you a fun Summer Reading Program for your kids. It's called Readathon 2012 brought to you by MeMeTales partnered with PBSKids. We learnt about Memetales over a year ago and have really enjoyed reading books on their website with Putti. I especially loved it for books from Indian publishers which would have otherwise been inaccessible to us as we would have to wait for our visit to India to buy them. Also, one of Putti's artwork was published in their first edition of the Collective Creativity Books- Being Thankful!

Readathon will help your kids combat the proverbial "Summer Slide" by keeping them reading plus you will also be doing some good deed. For every child that registers for Readathon 2012 MeMeTales is donating a meal to send a hungry child to school via FoodForEducation.org #ReadForGood

You can read more on how to participate here. Putti  has already enjoyed many of the books currently available and is looking forward to the many more that will be provided as part of Readathon 2012 throughout the summer. Off course I will be reading it to her, as she is still a beginning reader and is not yet able to read them all by herself.

Also, myself and a whole host of other lovely kids bloggers are joining forces and will feature a book every week for six weeks starting June 18th (when the program starts) and along with activities to go with them. Wont you join us and read along? MeMeTales along with PBSKids will make books available for your children to "borrow" via the MeMeTales website and apps. Pop on over toMeMeTales and register your child(ren) and #ReadForGood. The app can be downloaded to your iPad, iPod, iPhone or Android device.

Every week has a different theme for books:

• Week 1 – Animal Fun
• Week 2 – Friendship
• Week 3 – Character Development
• Week 4 – Imagination
• Week 5 – The Green earth
• Week 6 – Global Cultures

Your Child not only gets to participate and read wonderful books but at the end of each week, he earns a certificate of achievement to display proudly. The 2012 Readathon starts June 18^th  ,so go sign up and get ready for the summer reading fun! 

Disclaimer: I have partnered with Memetales to promote this program via publishing activities and ideas around books within the chosen theme. In exchange my family receives books we read. 

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Grow Beanstalk in a Ziplock !

We had “take two” on our bean seeds. This time we tried to grow them inside a ziplock cover!!

After, growing some beanstalks from seed to little plants in a clear cup, I asked Putti if she wanted to try another planting activity. This time she and her friend both tried them together.  I had previously soaked the lima beans overnight to speed up the growing process a bit. The two girls did feel the difference between the dry beans and those that were soaked. Both said they were softer. We did split open a couple of beans and saw little sprouts(baby plants as the girls called them) inside the beans. I told them that Seeds don't need nutrients(extra food) to germinate as everything they require is contained within their seed shell. However, once they've sprouted and grown their first leaves, they will be looking for food. And that's why it is the roots that grows first always to help the growing plant look for food.
Take half sheet of paper towel and fold in half. Soak it in water and squeeze out the excess or you could spray water just enough. Place the wet towel inside a ziploc.  Then the girls added the soaked beans. They wanted to add handfuls and I had to remind them that the beans needed space to grow so only add four or five.

 

Tape the ziploc to a window or any sunny spot. Make sure the baggies are sealed tight so they hold in the moisture. We had to wait and see what happens. We talked about the growth of the beans as they start to shoot out some sprouts, roots.

Some of the beans did not grow, maybe because of lack of food-water, air, being over crowded. This is by the end of day 10 when two of the beans had grown into tiny plants.

I talked to her how the beanstalks that grew in a cup had grown healthier with lot more bigger leaves than the ones in ziploc. Putti said thats because soil has food for the plant and the ziploc did not have any.
Putti made a Plant Journal:She recorded her observations in her Plant Journal.  Everday she would draw a picture of the changes she observed.  To encourage writing I would also ask her to write about the changes she saw.  Some days she preferred just drawings and asked me to write it for her. Here's what she wrote:

I put 5 bean seeds in the soil today. 

I see a little sprout from my seed.

A little root is growing.

The root has grown big.

I see more roots.

I see two leaves from my plant.

My plant is growing big.

Some books that we read:
  One Bean by Anne Rockwell. We learnt what happens when you take one bean and soak it and then plant it in some soil and add water.  We discovered that after several days, a small stalk appears out of the soil.  Soon leaves appear and slowly it becomes a bean plant with beautiful flowers and bean pods of its own!!
 How a Seed Grows  In this book, young children learn the stages of a plant, a bean as it grows from seed to sprout to plant.
Seeds by Ken Robinson is a picture book that introduces to young children a variety of seeds, differences in them by size and shape, where they come from and how they travel, Large scale photos and illustrations show a single plant or tree and its seeds.

Linking to all places mentioned here

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Playdough Earth Day Mosaics

The EARTH Book by Todd Parr includes a lot of easy ideas on how we all can work together to make the Earth better - from planting a tree, using both sides of the paper, turning off the faucet while brushing teeth and reusing old things in new ways. Many of these are already being in practice in our house. As shared earlier, we have been trying to adapt an Eco-friendly life style and have tried to introduce the same with Putti. More on it in my previous post "Everyday an Earth Day". Here is the video of the author reading the book.

For the book activity, Putti wanted to make 'The Earth' and I wanted to use some recycled stuff. So went through our recycling box and found I had lots of dried blue and green Play-Doh. We started with - Elmer's School Glue, bits of dried playdough (lots of blue and little of green) and a blue card stock. I used a round plate to trace a circle on the card stock and Putti cut it out. 

 Then, Putti glued the playdough pieces randomly all over the card stock. As she glued I kept telling her that there is lots of water (blue) and just a little land (green) on Earth. After she finished gluing, I encouraged her to paint a coat of glue all over it for extra sealing as we have done earlier with play dough mosaics. 

Just like all other activities, Putti wanted to make another Earth. But, I had ran out of all blue playdough bits. So, asked her to paint a cardstock blue for water and then she glued the remaining green play dough pieces for land. I love the feel on this one, making it look like the waters are deep and the land part is risen!

And after having made 2 earths, Putti wanted to make one more the next day. This time, I had no option but to give her fresh play dough. She loved pinching small bits from play dough and pressing then onto the card stock. The softer play dough sort of blend into each other very well.

Here is a look at all three Earths that she made. 

For older kids you can print out a world map and they can glue pieces of playdough to make continents.


Check out other Playdough Earth Ideas:

• No Time for Flash Cards made Playdoh Earth Ball.
• Meet the Dubiens Earth with all its layers.
• Students at Tamaki School learnt about layers of earth using play dough.

Teach Preschool along with many other Preschool bloggers is hosting a "Earth Day Books and Activities" blog hop. Each of us have an activity to share with the book we read. Check the linky below, stop by and bookmark or pin them all ! 

List of blogs participating:
Teach Preschool : Child Central Station : Living Montessori Now : Aunt Annie's Childcare : The SEEDS Network : Flights of Whimsy : Pre-K Pages : Kreative Resources : I'm a teacher, get me OUTSIDE here! : Share & Remember : Music Sparks : little illuminations : Greening Sam and Avery : Putti Prapancha : Early Play : 52 Days to Explore : Little Running Teacher : Look at My Happy Rainbow : Rainbows within Reach

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5- A-Day Book Challenge - Week 8- Eric Carle

Read all about  5-a-day book challenge here ! 

Kate at An Amazing Child is hosting a blogging event this week to celebrate the birthday of Eric Carle on 25th June. We are glad to be part of it. Kate has planned a whole week long activities about his books. There will be many other wonderful bloggers writing about his books, doing art activities and play ideas to go with his books! So come back as there will be more people adding in until saturday. 

This week's our 5-a-Day Books are all Eric Carle stories! 

First is Eric Carle’s most famous and well-loved book- The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This book has been a favorite with Putti ever since the first time I read it to her. She loves poking her fingers through the holes in the food and is amazed with the long list of food that the caterpillar eats on Saturday! It is the first book she learnt to read all by herself. She has known the book by heart for more than couple of months now, yet never gets bored with it. We both love reading it !!

The Grouchy Ladybug is the story of a grouchy ladybug who is looking for fight, challenges everyone it meets regardless of their size. I also love that the book takes the ladybug through her day hour by hour with little illustrated clocks on top of each page. This is putti's favorite part of the book and she points to the clock, reads the time and then the story..

Brown Bear brown bear what do you see? 

This was the first book putti asked me to get her. She was introduced to it at her preschool. Appealing animals in bold colors are seen and named in a rhyming question-and-response text that delights as it invites young readers and listeners to participate actively.

The Tiny Seed
 The book talks about the life cycle of plants, as one tiny seed which faces many challenges, grows into an enormous sunflower, which then produces more seeds in its turn. The book introduces the seasons and the role of the weather in seed germination. And ultimately tells of the importance of just the right environment in order for a plant to grow.


Have you seen my cat?
A little boy’s beloved pet cat has disappeared and he goes out to find it. In his search he meets many people who try to help him and he meets different kinds of cats, both wild and domesticated, before he finally discovers his own cat,

Do you have a post about Eric Carle's books, any activities related to it? Please add your link below. Take time to visit all the wonderful blogs listed to get inspired !!! 

Thank You

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