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Book It: Enrollment is Open for the 2020-2021 School Year

Abby H.

BOOK-IT.pngHey, Homeschoolers…Book It Enrollment is Open for the 2020-2021 School Year!unnamed.jpg

And if you aren’t a home schooler, You can still participate! New for 2020-2021:

Enroll your own class: Book It no longer accepts campus-wide enrollments. Please select the option that works best for your classroom and only enroll classes you teach.

New and Improved Digital: The updated parent approval process no longer requires parent emails. Just share a personalized link with parents to gain approval or print blank certificates to ensure that all students can be rewarded for their reading accomplishments.

 

More ways to celebrate your students: With the digital program, parents can use digital certificates in person, over the phone, or online, for carryout, delivery or dine in providing even more ways for them to celebrate their child’s reading accomplishments.

Get Started here!  And remember to share this post with your teacher friends!

Everyone loves pizza- and nothing is better than FREE PIZZA!

 

Kids Learn to Read in 30 Days for Free with Reading Eggs!

Abby H.

ReadingEggsLogo.jpgLittle Bit is 4 and Kindergarten is in the fall for her. We want her to be as prepared as possible, which is why we are excited for her to start Reading Eggs!

Reading Eggs is the multi-award winning reading program for ages 2 to 13 that uses scientific research to help your child learn to read, in just weeks!

I’m excited because we can unlock the complete reading and math adventure with a 12-month Reading Eggs subscription, plus get a BONUS 12-month Mathseeds subscription absolutely FREE!

Their mission has always been to make learning easy and fun for young learners, and they feel there’s never been a more important time to do this. That’s why they’re giving you 30 days’ free access to the Reading Eggs and Mathseeds online learning programs.

This is Reading Eggs effort to ensure your child can continue learning at home with a quality educational resource designed by experienced educators and used by over 10 million children worldwide.

And there are tons of great resources too! Free downloads for Grades K to 6th. Reading Eggs just compiled a comprehensive list of FREE resources for parents!

I’ll be reporting back with an update in a few weeks or so. Fingers crossed we’ll have a reader!

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Details: 12 Months of Reading Eggs and Bonus Mathseeds for $45 – 12 months of Reading Eggs + BONUS Mathseeds – Unlock the complete reading and math adventure with a 12 month Reading Eggs subscription, plus get a BONUS 12 month Mathseeds subscription absolutely FREE – valued at $108.95, pay only $45!* New Subscribers only. Offer for 1 child only. Customers can only claim a maximum of 2 promotional codes per year. These offers cannot be claimed in conjunction with any other offer and are only available to United States and Canadian residents.

March is National Craft Month! Free Crafts & Crafting Deals!

Abby H.1 Comment

MyBluprint.comI learned today that March is Craft Month, which is awesome because I am always down for a good craft!

If you are looking for craft supplies on a budget, here are my top five tips:

  1. Thrift Stores are a great place to start scouring for craft supplies. Frequently thrift stores bundle up craft supplies.
  2. Sign up for rewards programs at your local craft stores and/or download their apps. Both Michaels and Joann Fabric & Crafts have apps with coupons to save you more!
  3. Dollar Tree has great craft supplies. Our favorites are their wooden boxes, craft kits, pom-poms, chenille stems, and hot glue sticks!
  4. Craft supply swaps are a great way to trade supplies. I host once a year or so, right before school lets out. Everyone brings their excess/unwanted craft supplies and it’s a free for all swap. Leftovers are donated to a local school or scout troop.
  5. If you have liquid/wet supplies (like ink pads, glue, paint, etc), make sure to check them before plotting out a project. Nothing is worse than sitting down to do a project to discover that your glue/paint/whatever is all dried out. BUMMER!

If you’ve got kiddos, check out the free week of crafts at Michaels, starting today.

AllFreeKidsCrafts Spring Crafts eBook is now available for download here. I found 3 new crafts for the kids to do today- they are going stir crazy because it’s raining here.

I know some of my readers love their wine, and if you are one of them, FaveCrafts has something just for you! Their latest free eBook, 25 Cool Things to Do with Old Wine Bottles is available here.

If you are looking for something different, perhaps learning a new skill or skills, check out Blueprint!

Blueprint has all kinds of online classes, videos, and articles that you can access with an unlimited membership, or you can take a singular class online. They also have a great selection of free articles and patterns here. Whether you want to learn about sewing, cooking, quilting, embroidery, art- Blueprint has classes for everyone!

In celebration of National Craft Month! Get ANY Blueprint class for just $10 with coupon code “CREATE10”!

 

Looking for fun for your littles? Check Out Uptown Tot!

Abby H.

I’m taking the littlest one this week for Upotwn Tot!

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When the older kids are away, the little ones will play! Visit Uptown Jungle for a discounted playtime event where the little ones get the entire park to themselves!
Exclusive Toddler Playtime
Ages: 5 & Under Only
When: Wed 10am-1pm (Excludes holidays & school breaks)
Admission: $10. Additional sibling: $5. All parents play free!

And don’t forget- If your kiddos love Uptown Jungle and you visit frequently, consider checking out their memberships! Ifor and a discount code can be found here.

6 Days of Free Crafts at Michael’s 3/8-3/13/2020!

Abby H.1 Comment

Michael’s is hosting 6 days of Free Kids Crafts 3/8/2020-3/13/2020!

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  • Sunday 3/8/2020: Craft Stick Bee 2-4pm
  • Monday 3/9/2020: Pom Pom Caterpillar 4-6pm
  • Tuesday 3/10/2020: Stained Glass Kite 4-6pm
  • Wednesday 3/11/2020: Beaded Butterfly 4-6pm
  • Thursday 3/12/2020: Friendship Bracelets 4-6pm
  • Friday 3/13/2020: Clothespin Birds 4-6pm

Parents/guardians must remain on-site. Each craft is free, including supplies!

Kids Club! Saturday 10am - noon

If this doesn’t work for your schedule, check out Kids Club! Each Saturday 10am-noon, your kiddos (ages 3+) can choose from 2 30-minute projects. Most projects are free or have a low cost.

San Diego STEM Expo 3/7/2020!

Abby H.

unnamed.jpgWe are more of a STEAM house, because you have to have ART, but I’ll let it slide in this case because the San Diego STEM Expo is coming to PetCo Park on 3/7/2020 and it’s going to be an awesome day full of all kinds of cool kid-friendly fun and learning!

The San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering kicks off with its largest event EXPO DAY, a daylong celebration at PETCO Park on Saturday, March 7, 2020 from 10am to 5pm. EXPO DAY is the Festival’s signature event, with more than 130 local businesses, corporations, and organizations providing interactive, hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math exhibits and activities to budding K-12 science lovers.

And to make sure that no kiddo is left out of the fun, there will be a PRE-K ZONE!
Location: Between Park at the Park and the Tot Lot.

There will be STEAM activities for children under 5 at EXPO Day! Visit the pre-k zone to excite your tiny future innovators. All activities are for children under 5 years of age. I know that the big kid can’t wait to introduce little sister to the joys of science!

I’m most excited about the fireside chats: A mini version of the TED Talk. Join industry professionals for an engaging 10-15 minute discussion in an intimate setting! Learn about their careers and what sparked them to the world of science, technology, engineering, and math! Following the discussion, there will be time for the audience to participate in extended conversations and Q&A.

We’ll be packing snacks, riding the trolley, and making an entire day of it!

Uptown Jungle: Monthly Memberships Available (and a $15 off deal)!

Abby H.

84129633_2726225264134145_3004108003239526400_o.jpgBoth kids love Uptown Jungle, and I do too. It’s Clean, they have free WiFi, and there is an awesome parents area so I can get work done while the kids play. BUT- I do enjoy pelting the little monkeys with foam dodgeballs on the trampoline too.

For us frequent visitors of Uptown Jungle, the monthly membership is a great bargain. Check it out:

If you’ve got 2+ kids, the family membership is the way to go! For the price of four kids 2-hour admissions, you can take the kids to Uptown Jungle as much as you want all month long!

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The parents lounge

And parents play for free! WOO HOO! If you’ve got a friend or family member who has never been to Uptown Jungle, have them utilize the FREE Buddy Pass!

Oh, but check this out- I know y’all love a deal! I’ve partnered with Uptown Jungle, and they are offering my readers a discount! When you buy a membership here, use discount code HEWES15 for $15 off the first month of membership.

We’ve got our membership, and I plan on taking the kids AT LEAST once a week to get the wiggles out. We hope to see some of you there to bounce and play!

 

 

San Diego Family Fun Fest 2/9/2020!

Abby H.

sdfamily.jpg

Are you looking for a free, fun outing for your family this weekend? Check out the San Diego Family FunFest brought to you by San Diego Family Magazine.

 

Sunday, (Feb 9), 10 am-1 pm at the Salvation Army Kroc Center (in the Corner Zone), 6845 University Ave., San Diego 92115.

Have a blast with more than 30 Family Fun Activities & Resource Booths!

  • 2 Bounce Houses
  • 40” Inflatable Obstacle
  • Zipline
  • Swings
  • Double Shot Basketball
  • Angry Birds Slingshot
  • Imagination Playground Blocks (life-sized foam tinker toys)
  • Giant Connect 4 & more!

Dance along with the DJ, win cool raffle prizes, explore family resources and take playtime to a whole new level!

You can find out more on their Facebook Event page. Barring weather concerns, we’ll be there! I’m excited about the Imagination Playground Blocks.

Tea Collection $15 or Less Sale!

Abby H.

Tea Collection Black Friday Sales Event starts today (Monday 11/25/19).

Tea Collection clothes are so cute and unique- I love that they gather their inspiration from cultures all over the world! And they are so well made!

They have more styles than ever all for just $15 or less! This is the one you have been waiting for, their biggest sale of the year!

Fine print:
Black Friday Event applies to select styles only. Offer ends on 11/30/2019 at 11:59pm PST. Limited to stock on hand. Restrictions apply

School Fundraising with Mabels Labels!

Abby H.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

School fundraising season is upon us: Candles, wrapping paper, butter braids, popcorn, huge tubs of cookie dough (Ok, so I love cookie dough, but no one needs a huge tub of it). For the most part, the quality of the items is not worth the price.

I recently discovered that Mabels Labels offers fundraising opportunities!

mabel

The best part is the school will receive a 20% commission from every order placed!

Mabels Labels takes care of everything! Nothing for volunteers to sort and distribute- everything is ordered online through a special link and shipped directly to those purchasing.

And an even better benefit- Once the labels are in use, the lost and found will be cut down! I don’t know about your kids school, but our lost and found is bursting by Winter Break!

I forwarded this info over to our PTSA peeps as soon as I found out about it.

Both of my kids have an Ultimate Back-to-School Combo Pack with their names for all of their school stuff. I put the labels inside their lunch boxes, backpacks (I never put their names on their stuff where strangers can see it), as well as shoes, hats, and jackets. With over 100 designs to choose from, there is bound to be something your littles will love.