GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

These days, young girls are feeling the pressure of our society’s stereotypical view of beauty. The majority of girls (seven in ten) feel they do not measure up in some way including their looks, performance in school and relationships. The added pressure results in some girls with low self-esteem engaging in harmful and destructive behavior that can leave a lasting imprint on their lives. As parents, we can play our part to help by educating our children that there is a wider and healthier definition of real beauty.

In response to the self-esteem crisis, Dove Self Esteem Fund was launched to bring self-esteem programming to girls across the country and to encourage everyone to make a difference in the lives of girls. With a goal to reach 5 million girls globally by 2010 through its self-esteem programming, let’s help Dove by supporting and promoting a wider definition of beauty, either through your blog or through educating your children.

Moms and mentors can start boosting a girl’s self esteem right now by visiting www.campaignforrealbeauty.com to download the following free self-esteem building tools:

• True You and Mirror, Mirror booklets
• Interactive exercises
• Workshop Facilitator Guide DVD

WIN : We are in need of your support! Please help us spread the word about this campaign by:

1. Posting about this campaign  and leaving your post url in our comment below (3 entries) OR
2. Share with us your thoughts about this campaign (one entry)

One winner will be chosen using the Random.Org number generator to win the following items:

• 1. One “You’re Beautiful Pass It On” t-shirt AND
• 2. Two books -  titled “Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters” by Courtney E. Martin AND “Life Doesn’t Begin 5 Pounds From Now” by Jessica Weiner  [Jessica Weiner is an architect for change that is the voice of Dove's workshops all over the U.S. and Courtney Martin is an active speaker at Dove's Self-Esteem Fund Tour.]

Giveaway closes on 25th November 2008. Open to International readers.

If you’re a parent who has a fussy kid that refuses to take vitamins or supplements, try Emergen-C Kidz. Designed for kid by kids, Emergen-C Kidz complete multi-vitamin formula contains a whopping 24 essential nutrients, choline, which supports healthy brain function, and has 500mg of Vitamin C to help kids stay healthy year round.

Emergen-C Kidz is perfect to toss in a lunch box or serve up as an after-school refreshment.  It is so fun, fizzy and delicious, kids won’t even know it’s good for them! You can get free samples to try out - Just click here!

For Ages: 1+
Made In: USA
Manufacturer: Holgate Toys
Dimensions: ea block 1-3/4″

Did you know that by the time babies are a year old, they should be able to play stacking or balancing games? Thus, the Holgate Baby Blocks would make the perfect  toy to help your baby develop her creativity, hand-eye coordination as well as build fine motor skills.

Each set contains six blocks made from hard maple wood and on each side of the blocks, there are pictures, numbers and alphabets. The rounded edges of the blocks received a two thumbs up from me as a great safety feature for babies. There are numerous ways to play with these blocks but for the younger babies, you can start off by stacking them up towerlike and letting your baby knock them down.  My 18 months old niece had a blast with these blocks as she was already able to sort them by colors. We have also started teaching her to recognize some of the pictures and when she grows older, we will use these blocks to teach her simple three letter words.

Overall, I would highly recommend these Made in USA Holgate Baby Blocks as they make delightful and educational toys for babies and toddlers alike.  Get yours today from NMC Toys!

Let me tell you why I am a big fan of ImagiPLAY’s Counting Bunnies Toy. Three words :

• Eco-Friendly
• Non-Toxic
• Fun

Like any other parent, recalls on toys have resulted in a lot of concern over the type of products that our children should be playing with. Many parents are now in favour of environmental friendly made toys as opposed to the regular plastic made ones. At the same time, we want to ensure that our children enjoy these eco toys and that they are made to encourage development and creativity in children. ImagiPLAY’s Toys Of Integrity has definitely not disappointed me.

The Counting Bunnies by ImagiPLAY is a great tool or toy to teach numbers 1 to 10 to young children. The handcrafted set comes with eight bunnies numbered from 1 to 8 and two carrots with number 9 and 10. The pieces are small enough to fit the hands of younger children and colourful enough to retain their attention.

Now, the main objective is to line the bunnies up in the proper sequence of numbers so that they are able to get the carrots. However, there are numerous ways for parents to work with their children to get the numbers right. It all depends on each person’s creativity. 

On a final note, I would highly recommend this toy to those who have children of age 2+ to 4.

With the current economic situation, everyone is looking towards cutting cost. So, I’d thought that it was a cool idea to share this DIY craft for the coming Halloween. With a simple scrap of old denim as the base, you can make this enchantingly haunting mask from Craft magazine.  It’s simple and, as you can see, the results are flirty, fun and easy on the wallet. 
 
Rather than copy and pasting the instructions here, just click the link here for full instructions on making the mask! Here’s how the end result looks like.

Here are the 3 lucky winners:

1. Vickie Couturier

2. Kathy Conley

AND

William Is Going Green is a pretty simple book that promotes environmental awareness to young children. Written by dad James Martin II with his little art director son, James Martin III, it is the first picture book in the series from William The Garbage Truck and Crew. 

To start off, the William is Going Green book is 100% recycleable. That’s a thumbs up from me. One fine day, William, a smoky white garbage truck working in the city’s local dumpster was out of employment and had to go out in search of another job. That task was more difficult than he had thought as he got rejected many times. Eventually, William found himself in a little town that he liked. Here, he learnt the importance of conservation and friendship. You’ll have to read the book and find out how William eventually transforms into a green hybrid recycling truck.

I like that William Is Going Green provides children simple tips such as to turn off the light when sleeping and not to let the water run when brushing teeth. These are easy and do-able steps that can encourage children to join the fight against global warming. I also noted that The Crew in the story comprises of a variety of ethnicities and both genders which is great for children like mine who lives in a multicultural country.

Verdict : A hardcover short story that teaches kids from age 3 onwards how to go green and keep our planet safe, I rate it a 7 over 10.

BUY IT : You can purchase William Is Going Green directly from its website here or through Borders, Amazon.com as well as BarnesandNoble.com.

Sometime back I wrote a review on the Fairy Foals book and I thought it would make a great gift choice for many book as well as art lovers.

I would like to share with you another great piece of news:

Readers who are interested to purchase the book can get 40% off, valid till 31st October 2008. Please use the code CHILDSOURCE10.

You can buy the book by clicking on this link.