Celebrate Christmas with The Garden Show and Win an Amazon Gift Card!

Looking for a fun way to help your child understand the true meaning of Christmas? Check out "The Greatest Gift" episode of The Garden, a brand new show from Butch Hartman, creator of the iconic Nickelodeon animated shows: THE FAIRLY ODDPARENTS, DANNY PHANTOM, TUFF PUPPY, and BUNSEN IS A BEAST! Learn about The Garden and enter to win a $10 Amazon gift card!

Show Synopsis:

The Garden is a Christ-centered children’s cartoon series aimed at teaching your kids the Gospel in a way they can understand. It features LENNY THE LION and LUCY THE LAMB — two best friends who work inside a magical garden where ANYTHING can grow! Each story revolves around them having to accomplish their goals by learning a Bible story or an original song. “The Garden” will take your kids right along on these adventures, too!

Tee Turtle Holiday Gift Pack Giveaway {Super Stocking Stuffer Blog Hop}

Looking for fun and affordable gifts that anyone can enjoy? Tee Turtle, creator of the original Reversible Octopus Plushie, offers a large selection of toys and games priced under $20. Read on for the chance to win a lovely prize pack including their award-winning Reversible Octopus Plushie and Unstable Unicorns!

Featuring patented designs and over 40 color and pattern combinations, the Tee Turtle Reversible Octopus Plushies can help you express your feelings without saying a word. Each vibrantly colored plushie has two sides, a happy one and an angry one. They are super soft, fun to flip and fidget with, and small enough to be carried around. They have won multiple toy awards in the last few years.

These adorable reversible mood plushies are also available in cheerful holidays designs and a variety of animals such as turtles, pandas, cats, dogs, narwhals, unicorns and more. Each sells for $15 or less. Pick your favorite ones or collect them all!

Go PoP! Presto Game Giveaway {May Flowers Giveaway Hop}

Go Pop! Presto is a fun, fast-paced, family-friendly game that helps reduce stress and develop fine motor skills. Check out my review here.

The game includes: 

• 1 colorful, adorable squishy made with high quality foam
• 50 challenge cards
• 4 exclusive editions of Go PoP! bubble poppers

Each game piece alone works as an enjoyable fidget toy and is compatible with all the other Go PoP! games.

One lucky reader of mine will win their own Go PoP! Presto Game (ARV $24.95)! Enter the giveaway below by 5/27. Good luck!

Kool-Aid Mini Jigsaw Puzzles 6-Pack Set Giveaway {Leaping Leprechauns Giveaway Hop}

Do you love jigsaw puzzles but don't have time for the super challenging ones? Do you have kids who are eager to improve their puzzle play skills with excercises of manageable difficulty? Then these Kool-Aid Mini Puzzles would be perfect.

With a colorful collection of six individually packaged 50-piece jigsaw puzzles, the Kool-Aid Mini Puzzles set features cute, high resolution images resembling the real Kool Aids' packaging, which include Kool-Aid Cherry, Grape, Lemonade, Orange, Strawberry, and Tropical Punch. Made with 100% recycled puzzle board materials, each mini puzzle has a finished size of 6.3 inches by 8.7 inches, with a precision cut that ensures tight, interlocking heirloom-quality. The sturdy packaging boxes also work as convenient storage boxes.

Mini puzzles are great for developing cognitive and fine motor skills. Family and friends may play them together or use them for a fun race.

Baketivity Kids Baking Activity Kits

Are you looking for some fun activities to do with your kids? How about baking yummy treats together? More than just a baking kit, Baketivity offers a wonderful way to bond with children and build skills in an informal way! It is easy, fun, and mess-free with the most delicious results!

What makes Baketivity a smart choice?

• Wholesome Ingredients: Create everlasting memories with fresh, certified Kosher ingredients that are manufactured in an FDA approved facility in the USA.  
• Easy Baking: Mix and stir in a snap with pre-measured ingredients and simple, kid-friendly instructions.  
• Recipes Book: Step-by-step instructions with colorful, kid-friendly illustrations to make sure every bite comes out perfectly.  
• Enjoyable Learning: Explore exciting, colorful lessons and play educational games while your treats bake.  
• Shopping List: Detailed shopping list for the wet ingredients and baking tools you will need in each kit.  
• Free Hat and Apron: One size fits all Baketivity kids apron with a chef hat; it will be the best addition for your little baker!

Subscribe! Bake! Discover! Enjoy sweet savings today! Use code FAMILYGUIDE to get 18% off any subscription plans here.

Disclosure: I will receive free products in exchange for this publication.

Ooze Labs Colorful Crystal Lab STEM Experiment Kit Giveaway {Winter is Coming Giveaway Hop}

It's the last month of year 2020. Hope everyone will stay safe and healthy during this holiday season. For those of you who are looking for an educational toy to gift the little scientist in your family, I'd like to recommend the award-winning Ooze Labs products, especially the fancy Colorful Crystal Lab STEM Experiment Kit.

Explore the natural beauty and wonder of crystals by growing them yourself in many different shapes and colors! Set up your lab station — complete with beakers, test tubes, centrifuge, display dome, and more — and use safe, non-toxic crystal salts to conduct over 10 experiments in crystal formation. You can even make red, pink, blue, purple, and clear crystals using the spinning centrifuge! After you’ve completed the experiments in the kit, continue your crystal growing adventures using the cool lab setup and common materials from around your home. Through the fun experiments kids ages 6 and up can make awesome geometric crystals for dazzling displays!

Inside the kit, you will find 32 pieces including durable lab equipment needed to conduct the experiments, stickers to decorate the lab, and a 24-page, full-color manual with detailed instructions and easy-to-understand explanations for what's happening and why it's important. 

Here's a summary of the main features: 

• Grow a variety of dazzling, colorful crystals using safe, non-toxic crystal salts. 
• Make a crystal volcano on a paper cone, watch long spindly crystals form on a rock, grow crystals in a petri dish and on a string! 
• Experiment with different chemicals to make crystals of different shapes. 
• Learn about how the crystals form in your experimental solutions and in nature. 
• Compatible with other kits in the award-winning Ooze Labs line, use the Colorful Crystal Lab station independently, or combine it with other Ooze Labs stations to create the ultimate chemistry laboratory!

Green Toys Parking Garage Review & Giveaway {Christmas in July Giveaway Hop}

This summer, the little ones may feel the need for boredom busters more strongly than before. The Parking Garage from Green Toys are sure to add great fun to their time at home.

Drive up, fill up, fix up, and take off! The Green Toys Parking Garage is a multi-level play space that encourages motor skill development, cause and effect reasoning, and imaginative, narrative play. Made in the USA from 100% recycled plastic, the set includes a Mini Helicopter and two Mini Vehicles, and is scaled to work with the best-selling Green Toys Ferry Boat and Car Carrier. Featuring a drive-through station on one end and a ramp on the other, an elevator in back and helipad on top, this full-service, 360° set is ready for play from any angle.

My boys are huge fans of cars, planes, and boats. This colorful parking garage not only provides an extra storage place for their favorite moving vehicles from Green Toys, but also fits well with other brands of cars in their collection. The set is very easy to put together and sturdy enough to endure wear and tear from everyday play.

Like all other Green Toys products, The Parking Garage is a safe and eco-friendly toddler toy containing no BPA, phthalates, PVC, or external coatings. It is packaged with recycled and recyclable materials printed with soy inks.

Magformers Amazing Rescue 50-Piece Set Giveaway {Merry Little Christmas Giveaway Hop}

When gifting toys, I'd give preference to those that encourage children to learn through play. Magformers have been known for creating magnetic construction toys that help promote brain development, critical thinking and STEM education. Their Amazing Rescue Set has been nominated a finalist of the Toy of the Year Awards 2020 in the STEM/STEAM category!

The Magformers Amazing Rescue Set includes 50 pieces: 24 magnetic pieces (8 triangles, 14 squares, 1 rectangle, 1 Super square), 2 characters, and 24 emergency vehicle accessories such as rescue equipment, siren, wheels and fire truck.

Each geometric shape contains neodymium rare-earth magnets that never reject. And the magnetic power makes it easy to stack and store the pieces when they are not in use. The set also comes with a step-by-step educational idea booklet with follow along ideas and instructions. Made with safe and durable BPA-free high quality ABS plastic, the set is compatible with all Magformers shapes and accessories. Your little one will sure love to add this amazing set to their Magformers collection!

Boxiki KiddoLab Toys Review & Giveaway {Jeepers! It's January! Giveaway Hop}

Boxiki welcomes the new year with their brand new line of KiddoLab Toys, created by a team of active parents for babies and toddlers. Featuring bright, colorful, and multi-faceted designs that appeal to young children, KiddoLab toys help promote the development of such early skills as listening, verbal communication, fine motor skills, pattern recognition, music appreciation, hand-eye coordination, and more through fun playtime activities.

I was provided with the opportunity to try out two KiddoLab toys for toddlers: Musical Pop Up Mrs. Toaster and Chapa the Lion, My First Tablet. Both toys come with innovative, interactive features that provide hours of fun for my toddler.

The Musical Pop Up Mrs. Toaster is the perfect addition to our play kitchen. This adorable-looking pink play toaster is very easy to operate. Simply press down the smiling slice of bread to get started and the bread will pop up like in a real toaster when you press the toaster button. There are quite a few ways to customize your toast. You can choose between light or dark toast and three spreadable flavors: jelly, honey, or peanut butter. The sliding button is just the right size for one little finger to move it from one selection to another.

There’s also a timer knob for the little one to turn to adjust the time for toasting. But that's not all. Mrs. Toaster also sings and lights up when she is happily cooking. Her chubby hands can be moved up and down to activate different sound effects. Mrs. Toaster is very good at keeping her young friends engaged and entertained as they explore all the fun things they can do with her.

Goliath Games Stocking Stuffer Prize Pack Giveaway {Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas}

Christmas is right around the corner! Are you done with holiday gift shopping? Don't forget about the stocking stuffers! Goliath, a family-owned global toy and game company, has got some great gift ideas for last-minute shoppers. Embrace the power of play this holiday season with toys and games like i-Top, Charades for Kids and Color Smash, all of which are perfectly sized for stockings! They are not only tons of fun to play, but also help bring families together and inspire people to reach beyond their imagination.

Using smart technology, i-Top is the new generation of top that keeps track of the number of spins, while LEDs light up the display. Players can unlock hidden features to show special animations by spinning the top an exact number of spins, or challenge their friends to a high score. Available in Mega Gear Blue, Infinite Purple and Vortex Red. For ages 7 and up.

Between now and June 1st, 2019, you can visit iTopChallenge.com to submit your high-score and track how the competition is doing around the US and Canada. The ultimate i-Top Master with the highest score will win a free trip to a theme park.

Charades for Kids is a smaller version of the classic family favorite designed for kids of all ages to play and enjoy. It comes with 150 charade cards with 450 charades, a sand timer and a game die. With three levels of clues, each card includes a word and a picture, so no reading is required and even the youngest of children can play. It's fun for the whole family to play together as they try to guess the charade before time runs out. For 3 or more players, ages 4 and up.

Color Smash is the fun, fast card game of color coordination and fast reflexes. Each of the slap cards features a different color and word combo. Players take turns laying out their cards on the table until one smashes the splat with the same color and name to win the deck. The first player who collects the most cards wins this fast-paced game. The cards can be safely stored in the colorful paint can that comes with the game. For 2 or more players, ages 6 and up.

Haba Kullerbu Construction Site Set Review & Giveaway

The weather is getting cooler and the holiday season is quickly upon us. You may feel the need to update your child's toy collection as you bring more family fun indoors and get ready for big family get-togethers like Thanksgiving. Haba Kullerbu Construction Site Set would be a great item to consider. It's a winner of the 2018 ASTRA (Association of Specialty Toy Retailers Award) Best Toys for Kids Award, the only award in the US where winners are selected by specialty toy store buyers!

This colorful and cutely designed play set features a construction site section, where a wheel loader powered by a momentum motor can either carry or push the ball along the track until it drops into the dump truck waiting at the construction site.

The Kullerbu Construction Site Set consists of 13 pieces: 1 construction site, 1 traffic sign, 3 universal steep curves, 1 straight track, 1 exit ramp, 1 ball Builder Ben, 1 ball building rubble, 1 free-wheeling dump truck with movable bed, 1 wheel loader with momentum motor and 2 connecting elements. The parts are very easy to assemble and snap together firmly. Sturdy and steady, the track guarantees a smooth ride for the vehicles.

Long & Tall Puzzle ABC Caterpillar Review & Giveaway {Be The Change Giveaway Hop}

Have you got a little one who loves to solve jigsaw puzzles? How about a puzzle that measures 5 feet long when it's completed? The Learning Journey has recently launched a new line of Long & Tall Puzzles that teach letters and numbers through fun objects like a rocket ship or a caterpillar.

My kids and I had the pleasure of playing with the Long & Tall Puzzle - ABC Caterpillar that The Learning Journey kindly provided for review. Designed for children aged 3 years and up, the puzzle consists of 51 jumbo sized pieces, each bigger than my palm. The pieces are very sturdy and easy for little hands to pick up and play with. The rich colors and cute images are very attractive to young children, who love animals and other elements of nature. While the puzzle is huge when the pieces fit together, it doesn't take up a lot of space for storage, for it comes with a nice and strong box to keep all the pieces in. The box even includes a handle that makes it easy to carry the puzzle around. It makes a ready-to-use gift box too!

Besides its visual appeal, the puzzle offers quite a few educational benefits as well. It not only helps kids learn the alphabet but also get them familiar with objects with the same beginning sound of each letter. The little ones can sharpen their fine motor skills, improve hand and eye coordination, and practice problem-solving and logical thinking as they try to figure out how to put the pieces together. The puzzle also provides a fun way to promote focus and patience while keeping the player engaged for hours. Long & Tall Puzzle - ABC Caterpillar is now available for purchase from The Learning Journey for $14.99.

Teletubbies Limited Edition Gift Sets Review & Giveaway

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Teletubbies, one of the most iconic children's brand and TV series loved by toddlers and preschoolers around the world. Two limited edition Teletubbies gift sets - Teletubbies: Silly Fun and Teletubbies: Let's Sing & Dance hit the store shelves earlier this month, just in time for the holiday season. Each gift set includes special 6" soft plush toy and a DVD featuring all new episodes from the show. If you are looking for some last minute holiday gifts for the little ones, these gift sets would be a great option and they are under $15 each.

Teletubbies: Silly Fun Gift Set includes plush character Po and six new episodes:

• Silly Sausages
• Red
• Reflections
• Big Dance
• Train Ride
• Wait For It!

Teletubbies: Let's Sing & Dance Gift Set includes plush character Laa-Laa and six new episodes:

• Muddy Footprints
• Roundy Round
• Sing Song
• Conga
• Music
• Making Sounds

WowWee Fingerlings Baby Unicorn Gigi Giveaway {Two Turtle Doves Giveaway Hop}

If you ask me about the hottest toys of 2017, the first that comes to my mind must be the Fingerlings from WowWee. Besides the many colorful monkeys, the Fingerlings family includes a very special member named Gigi. Gigi is a white baby unicorn with rainbow hair. She's the cutest interactive pet toy that loves to hug your finger and that responds with sound or motion to your sound, motion or touch. Oh, isn't she pretty?

There are so many things Gigi the Fingerlings Baby Unicorn can do and there are so many ways you can play with her. Gigi makes unique unicorn sounds. She can blink her eyes and turn her head left and right. She giggles a lot and she is a pretty spontaneous singer. What she does depends largely on what you do to her. You can pet her on the head, blow her a kiss, brush her mane and tail, hold her upside down or even rock her to sleep. In fact, Gigi is capable of making more than 40 reactions. You just need to play with her to discover all that fun ways she responds to your touch and voice!

Look how adorable Gigi gets when she is asleep! But you need to be gentle and quiet because she is a rather light sleeper. Gigi is a tough girl too. She was accidentally dropped onto hard surfaces several times, but she remained intact and didn't seem to be bothered at all. You would think Gigi appeals more to little girls, but my boys seem to love her no less than the girls during their play date. So Gigi the Fingerlings Baby Unicorn would make an impressive gift for both boys and girls this holiday season.

2017 Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway

November is already here. Are you ready to start shopping for holiday gifts? Mommy Scene has once again put together an amazing holiday gift guide featuring useful and innovative gifts for babies, kids and moms. Plus you could win the entire gift collection from Mommy Scene's Holiday Giveaway!

Gifts for Babies
Crane Drop Humidifier - Grey

Pacific Baby Hot-Tot 9oz Insulated Toddler Bottle

aLoo Bottle Valve

Revelae Kids Cozy Baby Sleepers

Bonjour Baby Baskets $50 Gift Card!

lulujo Baby's First Year blanket & cards set

Button Diapers One-Size Diaper Cover and three pack of Daytime Diaper Inserts of winner's choice

Toofeze baby teether

Featured in Mommy Scene's Gift Ideas for Babies.

Spookley the Square Pumpkin Prize Pack Giveaway {Ghosts & Goblins Giveaway Hop}

One of the kids' favorite fall activities is to visit a local pumpkin patch, where they could discover pumpkins in different varieties, sizes and shapes. If they are lucky, they might spot a very special kind of pumpkin, a square pumpkin that looks like the adorable Spookley the Square Pumpkin! Everyone’s favorite square pumpkin is now the “Pick of the Patch” this Halloween season. As a classic that airs on Disney Junior every October, Spookley the Square Pumpkin, for the first time ever, can be enjoyed in high definition, available in a new Blu-ray combo pack and on Digital HD from Cinedigm. The Blu-ray combo includes five exclusive video picture books.

Based on Joe Troiano's bestselling Spookley book series, this animated television special follows the story of Spookley, the only square pumpkin living on Holiday Hill Farm, where round pumpkins dominate and frequently make fun of Spookley for his unique shape until they get saved by him during a terrible storm.

Synopsis:
In a world where the only good pumpkins are round pumpkins, Spookley is teased because of his square shape. Shunned by the other pumpkins, Spookley is befriended by Edgar, Allan and Poe, three hilarious spiders, who convince him that, square or not, he has a right to be the Pick of the Patch. But Big Tom and Little Tom, the pumpkin bullies in the patch, continue to tease and taunt Spookley. Encouraged by kindly Jack Scarecrow and his bat sidekicks, Boris and Bella, Spookley tries his best, but he isn’t sure he has what it takes until a mighty storm threatens Holiday Hill Farm. When the storm blows the round pumpkins across the patch towards the raging river, Spookley realizes it is up to him and his square shape to save the day.

Blu-ray combo pack bonus features:

5 exclusive video picture books:

• The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin
• The Legend of Beacon the Bright Little Firefly
• The Legend of JellyBean and the Unbreakable Egg
• The Legend of Lyla the Lovesick Ladybug
• The Legend of Mistletoe and the Christmas Kittens

As fans of the Spookley book series, my boys were really excited to see their beloved square pumpkin in animation. Fond of Spookley's cute look, they felt upset when he got ridiculed by Big Tom and Little Tom; they felt sad when Spookley failed the Jack-a-Lympics miserably; they cheered for Spookley as he courageously saved everyone against the strong winds; and they felt very proud of Spookley when he finally won the respect from his fellow patch-mates.

The movie is well paced and has the perfect length to hold the little viewers' attention from beginning to end. The educational messages are clear and easy to get through. It encourages children not to be afraid to be different and to learn to embrace their differences, as what makes you different also makes you special. It also teaches about kindness, courage, friendship, sportsmanship, gratitude and tolerance. It helps stop bullying before it begins. Apparently, Spookley the Square Pumpkin has been a long time Halloween tradition for many families for a good reason.

Lottie Doll Giveaway

Have your little ones ever wished that their toy friends could look like human friends that they can cuddle and play with anytime they want? Their dream may come true if you get them one of the adorable Lottie Dolls. With a variety of interests ranging from nature photography to journalism, ballet to kite flying, you are sure to find a Lottie doll that your child will love. Enter to win one now!

Sponsored by: Arklu

Hosted by: Mixed Bag Mama

What makes Lottie Dolls special? For starters, they are proportionate to 9 year olds, so they both look AND move like real kids! Lottie Dolls are also inspired by real children and focus on presenting healthy body images. (How important is that in this day and age?!)

What is a girl without some accessories? You can also purchase extra outfits and even pets, a scooter, picnic set and more for your Lottie or Finn dolls. To check out all of the items Arklu has to offer in the Lottie Doll line, be sure to visit their website and sign up for Club Lottie for special deals and announcements! For a firsthand experience with Lottie Dolls, please read Mixed Bag Mama's review.

One lucky person will win their very own Lottie Doll (ARV $25)!

PlasmaCar Giveaway, Winner's Choice of Color (ARV $70)

PlasmaCar has been around for almost 15 years. It is loved by kids of all ages. Enter to win one for your family or as an awesome holiday gift for someone who would appreciate such a fun ride-on toy!

Sponsored by: PlasmaCar

Hosted by: Love, Mrs. Mommy
Co-Hosted by: MamatheFox

PlasmaCar is a ride-on toy that uses the natural forces of inertia, centrifugal force, friction and of course all that power your child has stored inside. You don't need any batteries to operate this car. You also don't have to mess around with gears or pedals. Your child can sit back on their patented safety seat and enjoy their fun ride! You can use this indoors or outdoors, but it's best (no matter where you use it), to be on a flat surface. Great for ages 3+ and up to 220 lbs! That's right, if mom and dad want to give it a go, no worries!

BuddyPhones Volume-Limiting Headphones for Kids Review & Giveaway {Glue Sticks and Crayons Giveaway Hop}

Back to school season is officially here! Besides crayons, pencils, markers and glue sticks, headphones are usually included in the teachers' school supplies list, as they are a necessity in today's multimedia-enabled classrooms. If you are still looking for the perfect pair of headphones for your child, then look no further than BuddyPhones, which not only feature various colorful, adorable designs, but more importantly, also feature a built-in, volume limiting circuitry that caps the sound automatically at 85 decibels - the level recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for kids.

I used to worry that using headphones for an extended period of time might impair their hearing, so I had to frequently remind my kids to keep the volume down. Now with BuddyPhones, there is no need to do that. I can enjoy the peace of mind that the volume will never go above what is safe for children!

BuddyPhones are available in several different versions, including BuddyPhones Standard, BuddyPhones Explore, BuddyPhones inFlight, and BuddyPhones Moomin. BuddyPhones Moomin are a special edition of BuddyPhones Explore feature Foldable, featuring cheerful characters from the beloved Moomin family. I received a pair of BuddyPhones Moomin - Moominpapa & Moominmama for review. Both my kids and I love the vibrant colors and cute pictures on the headphones. The sound quality is amazing. The headphones can be bent and adjusted freely to offer a comfortable, customized fit. They can also be folded away and stored in the Moomin travel bag, making them highly portable and super easy to use while on the go.

Join NASCAR Acceleration Nation for Motorsports Fun & Win NASCAR Gift Cards!

Have you heard that NASCAR now has a website dedicated to kids who are passionate about cars and racing? It's called Acceleration Nation, which offers a fun, entertaining and educational way for young motorsports fans to learn all things about NASCAR! Acceleration Nation is also available as a FREE app at both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Not only does NASCAR Acceleration Nation feature exciting kids games, but it is also a place for kids to learn about NASCAR drivers, races, tracks, details on cars and more. With fun videos and learning materials about the science of speed and racing, it makes a great resource for STEM education too. Kids 12 and under are FREE to all NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck races, so don't forget to take advantage of that privilege while you can. And you can keep track of upcoming races on the Acceleration Nation website and app.


Join NASCAR Acceleration Nation today and download the Acceleration Nation app to access all its neat features while on the go.

The Giveaway

To celebrate the launch of Acceleration Nation, all of us will have the chance to win a $400, $150, or $75 NASCAR gift card! That's a total of $625 worth of NASCAR gift cards up for grabs. Giveaway ends 9/8. Open to US & Canada 18+ only. Please enter using the widget below. Good luck!