Review: Elfishki and The Giant Cake iPad interactive app Book and activities for young and beginning readers

I recently downloaded a wonderful young children's app for my ipad called Elfishki and the Giant Cake.  My little one was fascinated by the story and the activities on the app.  Who wouldn't love a story about a gorgeous, giant cake?  It was fantastical!  I had a hard time wrestling it away from the little hands...promises about using it again tomorrow did the trick finally!  

The app consists of an educational fairy tale appropriate for young children and beginning readers. It has a useful lesson about teaching children to get along with others and how to understand differences. The interactive book shares the story of two very different chefs who live on Rainbow Island. Maggie is the chef at Gingerbread Nook while Elifizz is the owner of a really sad and gloomy restaurant named Chest of Ghosts. They both live on Rainbow Island. In the beginning they could not agree but managed to come together with both their ideas to make a wonderful birthday celebration for Mr. Thomas. 

Elfishki are little tiny fairy tale creatures who live on gorgeous Rainbow Island out in the Sparkling Sea.  Doesn't this sound dreamy already??  Elfishki are magical and can fly like butterflies or swim in the sea with the beautiful mermaids.  All of Rainbow Island is inhabited by fascinating creatures like speaking animals and silent trees that understand everything going on around them.   

Elfishki and the Giant Cake is one of the more educational and entertaining apps out there.  My little one really enjoyed playing with it.  It has alot of bright colors and pretty designs to attract the eyes. The animated pictures are great!  The music is entertaining and my little one loved all the silly sound effects. The story is sweet and gives you the option to be read aloud in Russian or English.  It even has comprehension questions to keep your child on his or her toes and help him or her really understand the story! The extra activities in the app are fun and silly like creating a beautiful cake and decorating it with fantastic combinations of frosting, ornaments and toppings depicted here:

You can even save your cake creation and "take a picture" of it.  My little one loved being able to go back and see the cake creation again!  Elfishki and the Giant Cake definitely helps to spark the imagination and encourage creativity in any child.

The Elfishki website has even more stories, videos and fun activities as well. You will love all of the Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends of Elfishki. I would definitely recommend this as a great educational app for a preschool or beginning reader.

Don't forget to find Elfishki on Twitter and Facebook too. Here is a sample of the app from itunes:

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Inside the Crayon Box Live Chat with Lisa Loeb & Crayola

Creativity matters. It´s a skill that all children can learn and when it´s practiced every day, kids become the critical thinkers, problem solvers, and leaders in the classroom, and they´re better prepared for professions of the 21st century.

Crayola wants every child to be creatively alive, so they´re inviting parents "Inside the Crayon Box," for a special live chat with celebrities and trusted parenting experts that will inspire and spark ideas to expand your child´s creative thinking. If you find yourself looking for new ways to inspire your children to express their ideas and build their creativity, you´ll want to join us to learn and share!

Here is the first "Inside the Crayon Box" recorded live chat from Wednesday, March 7 at 9 p.m. EST.  Join Crayola and musician, children´s author and mom, Lisa Loeb for a 45-minute live streaming video chat on the Crayola Facebook Page. Lisa, best-known for her number one hit "Stay (I Missed You)," will share as personal stories, practical advice and ways she brings a little creative play into every day for her daughter. We want to hear from you - participants can ask Lisa questions during the event, too! We hope you will share the information about the first Crayola "Inside the Crayon" live chat with your readers on or before Wednesday, March 7th so they may plan to attend as well.
Interested in the topics to be covered during the chat?

• Why Does Creativity Matter? Creativity is not about who´s the best artists or becoming an architect. It´s a way of thinking that encourages kids´ original ideas and develops their confidence.
• Growing Up Creative. Lisa will share stories about growing up in a home where creativity was encouraged.
• Simple Tips. Easy Ideas. Like most moms, Lisa juggles a lot. She´ll share simple, easy ways she sparks her daughter´s creativity as part of their daily routine.  

Don't forget to enter the contest in the earlier post announcing the live chat!!!

Influenster Voxbox Goodies-& how you can join and get lots of great freebies too!

I know you have heard about Influenster and their exciting Voxbox giveaways.  How can you join too?  The most exciting thing about it is that it is totally free to join and get great goodies too!  It is easy to join and I actually have some invites available. Just leave me a comment with a way to contact you and I will be happy to share.  You begin by unlocking different badges which is super easy.  The more active you are the better your chances are to get Voxboxes.  VoxBoxes are released every two months or so.  If you qualify for a Voxbox it is always a fun surprise to see what you get inside-lots of full-sized products.  You need to share your experiences with the products and goodies inside the box via social media like Facebook and Twitter as well-but that is fun to do!  The more you share...the better your chances of getting yet another Voxbox in the future.   I already love sharing my great finds with friends and family so that is a natural for me and just plain fun.

The LoveBox is my second VoxBox I have received.  There were four great, full sized items and one deluxe sample plus a terriffic coupon to use or share with a friend.  

I was excited to see the Stash Tea Terbal Tea Sampler.  Stash Tea is one of my faves!  I do notice that I see Stash in many of the upscale, luxe hotels when I travel for work.  It is delicious tea.   In the LoveBox it noted, "This sampler features some of Stash Tea's most popular herbal teas. All are naturally caffeine free and made from 100% natural ingredients. Steep for 3-5 minutes at 190-209 degrees, and enjoy!"  I can't wait to start checking out all the great flavors.

The next item is Truvia Natural Sweetener.  I really prefer natural sweeteners but don't always love the calories in sugar or honey.  They really add up, ya know what I mean?  Truvia helps me to bridge that gap and save some calories.  The enclosed information tells me, "Truvia natural sweetener is refreshingly uncomplicated, made from the best tasting part of the Stevia plant. Sprinkle this no-calorie sweetener on your grapefruit. Spoon it in your coffee. It won't end up on your conscience or your thighs!"  I love that it is all natural.  I can't wait to try a bit in my coffee or on my grapefruit.

I then saw one of the most fun and crazy items in  there:  the Kiss Nails Dress-Fashion That Sticks for nails.  The card tells me a little more, " Introducing Kiss Nail Dress, the ultimate nail fashion for tips and toes!Just peel, apply, and shape for a manicure that lasts up to 10 days. Available in 18 different styles!" I saw these in RiteAid but I wasn't sure about them. I am excited to try them--I will let you know. They look adorable and fun!

I love smooth legs so this was great to get:  the Gillette Venus & Olay Razor.  The card says, "Gillette Venus & Olay are coming together to deliver a gold standard in shaving with the new Gillette Venus & Olay razor!  Olay moisture bars help lock-in moisture to your skin, while Venus' five blades shave you close."   I bet it will get my legs super-smooth too!

I truly saved the most exciting item for last-can you believe it?  What a super treat!! A Ghirardelli Gourmet Milk Creamy Devotion Bar.  The card reads, "The decadently rich and creamy 32% cacao milk chocolate in creamy devotion delivers an epicurean chocolate experience. Experience a moment of timeless pleasure with all natural Ghirardelli Gourmet Milk Chocolate."  I will have to hide this from the other family members or it will be gone in a flash. I can keep it for myself and have a piece each night.  Yummy! 

What a great Influenster VoxBox.  I definitely suggest you join and check it out at their website Influenster.com!

*I received these items  for free from Influenster through their VoxBox Program.  All thoughts & opinions are my own and I was not provided with any financial incentive for this posting.

Have you ever done any surveys for cash?

I recently joined a few survey companies and found I make a nice little extra bit of change.  It is fun, mostly fast, and interesting.  I have completed surveys about all kinds of things and sometimes even get to try products for free!  MySurvey  is a good one  that you can try and see what you think.  I will see what others I can find!