Great New Products for Kids

I have some great new products to recommend for kids!

Charlie Hope- I’m Me- CD For Kids-
I love music for children and am always looking for new music to play in our classes. We had the pleasure of receiving a visit from “Charlie”, who played some songs from her new CD, “I’m Me” for the preschoolers at Thinkertots. She has a beautiful singing voice and her songs were fun and lively. I have always preferred singers for kids who are real people rather than characters like “THE WGIGLES”. Our kids gave two thumbs up to “Charlie Hope”. Her CD is available at amazon.com.

GoGo Squeez is an all natural, healthy, on-the-go fruit snack for kids. The new GoGo Squeez has five different applesauce flavors (apple, strawberry, cinnamon, banana, and peach). It's a fun and convenient way for kids to have a healthy treat. One Pouch is equal to one fruit serving, helping parents incorporate a healthy snack into their child's diet. The company sent me some samples to test out on some toddlers and preschoolers at Thinkertots. I admit I was skeptical, usually the healthier a food is, the less likely it is that a toddler will eat it!!! But those who tried it absolutely loved it and the moms were thrilled that the kids liked something healthy. It also comes in a cute resealable pouch so it is easy for moms to carry in their bags and no utensil is necessary. I really like this and will be recommending to my moms at Thinkertots! GoGo Squeez can be found at Whole Foods and Amazon.com.

Nico and Lola: Kindness Shared Bewtween a Boy and A Dog is a book by Meggan Hill. This is a beautifully written and photographed story about a boy (Nico) who happily learns he will be able to “dog-sit” for his Aunt’s pug named Lola.. The story shows the mutual respect the boy and Lola develop for each other and how Nico learns so many ways to show kindness. At Thinkertots, I do “storytimes” for kids under age five every week. There are many reasons why this book works. It is about a dog and kids LOVE books about animals, especially dogs. The pictures are gorgeous (bright, close-up photographs of the dog and boy doing various things.) Anyone who works with kids knows that pictures make or break a book. The story is simple and not loaded down with extra verbiage (another killer when reading to the very young!) Most importantly, the story has a great message about kindness and respect. I have always found that there is not enough emphasis placed on character education for children. “Nico and Lola” teaches kindness in such a lovely and unobtrusive way. Most importantly, the beautiful pictures, simple story and characters that small children can relate to, ensure that kids will be VERY INTERESTED IN READING IT!