This is a brightly-colored, sturdy pattern block set with the basic shapes ... circle, triangle, square, oval, and rectangle. I would give this set to a child between 18 months and 3 years. My 18-month old great nephew just loves it! He tries to match up the shapes and colors and his mother says he is having so much fun with it.I like how the solid wooden boards are double-sided and VERY sturdy...

After hearing so much about the benefits of Tai Chi, I decided to take up Tai Chi. But before I face my real master I wanted to do some serious practice with workout videos so that I can follow the real workout faster too. Hence I buy this workout video from Amazon.com.Pros: The movements are definitely for beginners and does not require much flexibility which is very suitable for beginners lik...

Lilias Folan was one of the first people to popularize yoga for American audiences, with her PBS show that started running in the early 1970s.  She is still one of my favorite yoga teachers.  She has a relaxed approach, and makes yoga seem like fun -- unlike many yoga teachers today who seem to take themselves too seriously. This video is a 2-tape VHS set that contains four episodes o...

I love to swim but really can't stand "aerobics". Step classes make me twitch. I'm mildly uncoordinated - the instructor says Left and I go Right, that sort of thing. In June 2006, I realized I needed to start a concerted effort to exercise to maintain my health. I floundered around for a while trying to find the "right" exercise for me. I finally found Bodies In Mot...

As usual Dr. Seuss has done it again with this book.  It is wonderful.  The illistrations are colorful but simple.  There are only a few sentences per page which is GREAT!  When my son was little and I read the book to him, there was plenty for him to look at while I read the few lines.  Books that had too few pictures or too many words were frustrating for both of us b...

I just love stories that "teach" lessons.  Robert Lopshire did a wonderful job with this Beginner Reader!  I'm not sure what the character in the book is suppose to be; but whatever he is, he sends my son into giggles every time he opens this book.  And when I'm trying to get him to read as much as possible, this is a great plus for me!  This endearing yell...

Ever feel like a challenging puzzle. Meet sudoku, the Japanese made strategy game that has taken the world by storm in the last few years. The aim of the game is very simple, fill in all boxes in a vertical line with numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 and fill in all boxes within the 3 by 3 boxes with numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. There are different levels of difficulty that one can ...

Hop on Pop by Dr.Seuss is a wonderful children's book for both beginning readers and young children.  We purchased this book when my oldest son was beginning to read.  He caught onto it very quickly because of all of the rhyming words.  It works well with a phonetics approach to reading by changing only the initial consonant sound in the word groups on each page - such a...

Cheap, cheap, cheap. I was so excited to give this toy to my child for Christmas. Our family is a very musical one, and I thought this would be a perfect vehicle to help my daughter learn to love it as well. The xylophone looks so bright and simple, and I figured it would be easy to play, because there aren't any extras to get in the way. Boy, was I wrong. It would certainly be easy to play...

Go, dog. Go! is a classic book published in 1961 written by P.D. Eastman that is now a part of the "I can read it, all by myself!" Beginner Books, which is a concept Dr. Seuss thought up to help encourage children to learn to read by themselves.Go, dog. Go! is a cute story that not only helps children learn and want to learn to read on their own, but it also teaches them a great deal ...

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss. Who hasn't heard of this book? Maybe some haven't. This is a really great, silly, and fun story to share with your child of any age.And because it's a part of the Beginner Books, which is a concept Dr. Seuss came up with, it's meant to be easy to read with enjoyable pictures as well, to ensure that your child is continually e...

"I couldn't draw a straight line if I tried!"  I hear this often from those who have seen my graphite/pencil crayon work in particular, and I'm reminded of what the author of So You Thought You Couldn't Draw, Sandra McFall Angelo states on the front of her book.  She has heard many people lament that they were born with "two left hands" and that they ha...

This is a workout video I checked out because my friend mentioned it. It's a workout mixing Latin dancing with intense cardio workout which makes for a great exercise. It is pretty entertaining and it really gets your heart pumping. I was able to get a pretty good workout in the hour I was exercising. It teaches you Latin dancing which is good if you can't dance. I became much more...

My 5 year old son is just starting to read. I wanted to find a book that he can read out loud and feel confident since he is in the early stage of reading. I asked his teacher what books she recommended and she said BOB BOOKS. These books come in a box with twelve little books they are Fun in the Sun, Up, Pup, Pip and Pog, Bow-wowl, The Big Hat, Sox the Fox, Ok Kids, Rub a Dub, Go Bus, The...

I loved Go Dog Go! by P.D. Eastman so we tried one his other books "Are You My Mother?".    This is a fun book that has a newly hatched baby bird as its lead character that is searching for its mother.  As the baby bird comes across different animals, the reader is given a perfect opportunity to make the animal noises e.g. MOoooooo for the cow.  Needless to sa...

"You may not believe it, but here's how it happened..."Because a Little Bug went Ka-CHOO!  is my all-time favourite children's book.  In a very fun, rhyming way (very reminicent of Dr. Suess), this story follows the unfortunate and hilarious series of events that happen all because a little bug sneezed, causing a little seed to drop from a plant.  This book is f...

My oldest son received the children book A Fish Out Of Water by Helen Parker. The illustrations are by P.D. Eastman.  The book is one of the Beginner Books. My wife and I read this book to our son over and over again, he enjoyed it so much. We both ended up knowing the story by heart. The book is about a little boy who buys a fish at the pet store.  The pet store owner tell him only t...

Are You My Mother by P.D. Eastman is a fun and adorable children's book that is targeted toward preschool and early elementary aged kids. In the book, a mother bird's egg is about to hatch, so she leaves the nest in search of food. The egg hatches before she returns and out pops a baby bird. The baby bird wonders where his mother could be, so he sets out on an emotional journey to find ...

If you're going to read the same book over & over & over again, it should be a great one like GO DOG GO! by P.D. Eastman. I think a young kid's book needs to have three elements: fun to read, educational, and good illustrations.  This book hits it out of the park on all three.  The story is written with a cadence that is both rhythmic and catchy.  The reader is sh...

Everyone wants to play guitar! So for my birthday, my friends got me a gift card to Guitar Center. I quickly used it to get my first guitar. I love the sound of acoustic guitars so I bought this Fender value pack. The guitar is a regular full size acoustic with a solid spruce top, and it plays beautifully! A great guitar for beginners because the pack comes with a strap, picks, a instructional ...