Summer Night Market 2011

It was a nice beautiful evening. We (the Hubby, little Brandon, and I) went out to the Summer Night Market for a walk and also check out what's available at the vendor booths. What is the "Summer Night Market?" Think of it like a flea market, but it's opened only during friday-sunday (and holidays) in the evening starting at 6pm till midnight.


This was Brandon's 2nd time. We brought him out last year when he was 2-years-old. He probably doesn't really remember. Since he is older now, he knows a lot more things and more aware of what is happening.



Lots of toys to see, but we didn't spend on any. He has enough toys.



At the food section, we all shared some egg waffles that are shaped like little eggs. It was a nice little treat for Brandon. He loved eating them and kept asking for more. There were candy-coated fruits that looked yummy. There was a big line up so we didn't get to buy any.





It was a fun night. We didn't stay too long because it was already getting late and mosquitoes were coming out.

Family Fun at Playland and the PNE

It was a fun-filled family day at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE). We wouldn't have gone if we didn't get complimentary passes. It was a great day for Brandon. It was the first time that Brandon was able to go on some of the kiddie rides at Playland's amusement park. I remembered last year he was still so little.



I think he enjoyed the Super Slide the most. I took him on this one.



And Daddy took him to these other rides.





There were so much other things to see like the farm animals. The chicks and ducklings were so cute!









Brandon LOVES eating cotton candy. Of course, we had to brush his teeth when we got home.

Brandon's First Car Ride Experience in Mommy's Honda

Okay, it's been nearly 3 years since I've cancelled my car insurance on my Honda Civic. I didn't sell the car because I wasn't serious about selling it and because I'm still attached to it. So much has been done.

Anyways, I want to share about little Brandon's experience. He already knows it's a Honda because he recognizes the emblem. Now that I bought temporary insurance (3-months), I was able to take Brandon around in my car. His first car ride experience, this is what he said:

"Mommy's car is loud."
Okay, it's because I had the front windows down since I didn't have the A/C installed. I left it out long time ago when I was still modifying my car and did a bit of races at the track back then. Yeh, the engine/exhause is louder too.

"Mommy's car is so nice."
I think it was the shiny paint job or either the shiny rims that caught his attention. I did get the car wash finally after sitting in the garage for 3 years. You could not believe how dusty it was.

Zoozoo Readables iPad App Review

ZooZoo Readables By Cavallo Media Group, Inc.

Zoozoo Readables is based on the popular school-based reading series - Zoozoo Into The Wild - originally published for early childhood classrooms throughout North America! These popular leveled stories are intended to help beginning readers acquire the foundational reading skills to become fluent readers. Sentence structures and vocabulary have been carefully chosen by leading early childhood educators to promote your child’s successful initial step into the world of literacy.

Each story feature 8 of the children's favorite animals: Lion, Tiger, Elephant, Giraffe, Hippo, Zebra, Frog, and Orangutan. The stories are adapted from the popular education series, Zoozoo Into the Wild, and are currently used in classrooms across the US and Canada. The animations bring each story to life and allow kids to interact with the characters. For me (and for Brandon as well), prefer animated story books when it comes to iPad/iPhone apps like these. It gets the kids interested and fun way to learn. The simple text encourages kids to master basic sentence structures and vocabulary while promoting reading confidence for budding readers.


Features:

- Simple sentence structures
- Become familiar with basic punctuation
- Gain exposure to important sight words
- Learn key vocabulary
- Animated characters and images provide more interest to children
- Animation can be replayed by touching the characters
- Simply repeat audio with the repeat button
- Narration can be turned on and off
- Text highlighting can be turned on and off

Perfect For:
- Children 3-6

Two-ways to read each e-book:
- “Read to Me” - listen to the narrated story with words highlighted as they are read
- “Read it Myself” - read the book in its traditional form (no highlighting)








It's been a while since I've gotten new educational apps for Brandon. He got excited when he saw this new one. He knows that he hasn't seen it before and asks me, "Mommy, is this a new one?" We both like that it is simple and sentences are easy to learn & understand. I love Brandon's reaction when the characters/animals moves around the screen. I think he's learning a lot and ready for preschool next month. I can't believe he's turning 3 already!






You can try the Free Version (Lite) that allows users to sample one of the stories. If you like it, you can purchase the app for only $1.99 either in iPad version or the iPhone version.


Disclosure: I received a code to redeem for the above App at no charge in exchange for a review of my opinion. Thanks to Kevin Yuen (not related in any way) and Yun-Yi Goh of Cavallo Media Group. The opinions expressed are my own personal and honest thoughts. No other compensation was given.

All New Curious George is Back on PBS Kids

Everyone's favorite monkey, Curious George, is back with a new season of (mis)adventures beginning Labor Day, September 5, 2011 on PBS KIDS. Remember to tune in for the new adventures. Check your local listings for your schedule and times. In ten all-new episodes, follow George as he encourages preschoolers to find their own creativity and get curious about the arts.

The fun starts Monday, September 5 through Wednesday, September 7 with three brand-new episodes - "Auctioneer George/Sock Monkey Opera", "Hamster Cam/The Great Monkey Detective", and "George and the Giant Thumb/Shutter Monkey".

The Arts are actually a great vehicle to teach kids about science, engineering, and math," said WGBH Executive Producer Dorothea Gillim. With this new season, kids will be inspired to dance, sculpt and paint along with George, and they'll also come away with knowledge of important STEM concepts.


The fun continues on Tuesday, September 6, 2011 when George learns that clues are key to solving mysteries in the new episodes Hamster Cam and The Great Monkey Detective. In Hamster Cam, Steve's pet hamster, Hogie, is on the loose in the city streets with nothing but a small video camera tied to his back. George helps Steve track his whereabouts using clues from the hamster cam and his best monkeyish map-reading skills. But can a monkey with a map keep up with a hamster on the run? Then in The Great Monkey Detective, it's a mystery movie night at Chef Pisghetti's restaurant. But the big mystery really begins when Chef Pisghetti's cookbook suddenly vanishes! A fan of Detective Basil Know-it-All, George understands that clues are the key to solving a mystery. Will George be able to crack the case of the missing cookbook or will this mystery remain unsolved?

And on Wednesday, September 7, 2011, George explores sculpting and photography in George and the Giant Thumb and Shutter Monkey. In George and the Giant Thumb, a bored George and Allie decide to make a ginormous sculpture of Bills sprained thumb. The duo quickly run out of clay and turn to less conventional art supplies. Peanut butter proves too sticky and shaving cream too drippy, so George and Allie use mud to finish their masterpiece. But will Bill give their art a thumbs up? Then in Shutter Monkey, Betsy's Out of Sight Shapes entry for the photo contest is sure to win first prize that is until George and Steve accidentally ruin her pictures. With some help from Steve, George runs around town trying to re-shoot the photographs. But finding the hidden shapes in things is hard for a little monkey! Can George snap 4 pictures of 4 shapes by 4:00...or are Betsy's prize-winning photos out of sight for good?







Disclosure: I received a copy of the preview DVD from the PR Company in exchange for this post. The opinions expressed are my own personal and honest thoughts. No other compensation was given.

The Wiggles Concert in Vancouver QE Theatre

We went to see The Wiggles in Concert on Tuesday, August 9, 2011. It was a last minute decision. At first, I didn't want to go because I had nobody to go with. My sister's sis-in-law asked me the day before and I thought would be a great idea to go together. I booked the seat just next to each other.

It was Brandon's first time to these type of concerts. He did okay at first, but couldn't sit still near the middle of the show because I think he was getting a bit bored. He's just under 3 (2years-10months to be exact) and wouldn't understand all of it. We sat all the way in the back row. Good thing I bought my Nikon with Zoom lens.




Here's a few of the photos I took. Brandon at the fountain just outside the venue:



Jeff, the guy who wears the purple shirt, was not at the concert due to heart problem (or something like that) and is in the hospital. Instead, another guy named Brad substituted his spot.



 

 It was an interesting and fun show overall. It's a different experience watching it live from watching it on TV. I'd prefer to watch the DVD at home.  The most interesting to Brandon was the characters he recognize and the "big red car".  And also not to forget to mention when the theatre got dark and the twinkling lights were reflecting off the disco ball. That was when they sang Twinkle Little Star.



[Click here] to see the full album. The album password is wiggles.



Disclosure: Tickets for this concert were purchased on my own. The opinions expressed are my own personal and honest thoughts. No other compensation was given.

Letter Buddies Worksheets: Free download for limited time!

Sorry for the late post. I didn't have access to my desktop computer for a couple of days. And then there some personal issues I had to deal with, but I'm not going to get into that.

Anyway, Cavallo Media is currently running a small promotion this week (actually ending today, FRIDAY). They are giving away for Letter Buddies Activity Worksheets (valued at $15) for FREE to anyone who becomes a Facebook Fan of Cavallo Media Group and answer a simple poll question. They'll send you a password and link to download the Letter Buddies worksheets. If you have preschool-aged children who are already learning their ABCs, this would be perfect for them. It's fun and it's educational!

Kids will learn to write letters by tracing, matching letters with the objects, initial sounds, and coloring.  Here are a couple of samples of the worksheets.





Disclosure: I received the free download from the company for this review. The opinions expressed are my own personal and honest thoughts. No other compensation was given.