Wabibito - E-Magazine Review

I'm always looking for new ideas for activities to do with Sophia and Olivia. So, when Ruth, from A Woven Education and creator/publisher of Wabibito, asked me to take a look at her new e-magazine, I was more than happy to do so.

Ruth is a teacher who is currently at home with my two children. She has started publishing an e-magazine to inspire parents and educators to enrich children's education with nature. Each edition of Wabibito has a variety of seasonal activities for a variety of age ranges - from making a portable lightbox for evening hikes, to using acorns as a natural dye.

"With seasonal recipes, a story, and reading list I hope that it will be a rich resource for people wanting to 'get outside and explore' with their children. I am inspired by the education philosophies of Reggio Emilia and Waldorf traditions and these certainly have influenced my writing," Ruth shared.

The first e-magazine is a mini-edition that is focused on fall activities.

Image from Wabibito's mini-edition.

Some of the many wonderful activities featured in the mini-edition include:

* Exploring paper
* Making a nature identification book
* Dyeing with acorns
* Creating a seasonal bookshelf
* Being creative with land art
* Making easy fall snacks
* Sharing a traditional folk tale with children
* Learning how to do little yogi stretches

I look forward to summer and fall when Sophia, Olivia, and I can make the nature identification book. Not only will it be a helpful resource, but a beautiful nature book to enjoy for years to come.

The Wabibito mini-edition is available for free downloading by going here.

I also was given an opportunity to take a look at the first edition of Wabibito. It is a delightful and idea-packet e-book filled with a variety of different ways to explore light.

Image from Wabibito's first edition focused on light.

Some of the highlights from the first edition of Wabibito include:

* Making a transportable lightbox for evening hikes
* Creating wax luminaries
* Making tin can lanterns
* Putting on a shadow puppet show
* Making winter cooking treats
* Sharing a seasonal story with children

At a local Waldorf school's holiday event in November 2011 and 2012, the girls each had an opportunity to make beeswax luminaries.

Above: Olivia creating a beeswax luminary.

Below: Sophia dipping her balloon into beeswax to create a luminary.

Reading through the directions on Wabibito, it details the process perfectly for those who have not made a luminary yet. These wonderful-smelling beeswax luminaries are fun for families to make together; and well worth the effort.

We tried the recipe for oatmeal scones in Wabibito; and they were delicious. Using honey from bees we had on the farm here, it was a filling and healthy breakfast one morning.

Once the weather warms up a bit and the ground is no longer covered with snow, we are interested in making the lightbox that is featured in Wabibito. It seems like taking a lightbox along on some of our nature walks would add a different dimension to what we see.

The stories that are included with both the mini-edition and first edition were engaging and entertaining for my daughters.

The reading lists in both editions, likewise, are comprehensive and have a delightful selection of recommended books that complement the theme of each e-magazine.

Wabibito is a great investment. For only $4, you will receive an e-magazine that is filled with beautiful images and ideas to sustain you and your family through this season. To purchase the first edition of Wabibito, please go here.

Disclaimer: Although I received a complimentary Wabibito e-magazine in exchange for a review, my positive opinions are all honest ones. I only recommend products or services that I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Mysterious Creatures - Game Review

Mysterious Creatures...Are they real? You decide.

Warning! The contents of this package may cause excessive interest and curiosity in other cultures. Please proceed with caution.

The name of a new game created by Education Outdoors, the question, and warning piqued my interest as it did my daughters who are 12 and almost 10 years old. As a homeschooling family, we enjoy playing games...especially ones that are challenging and/or help us learn something in the process.

Mysterious Creatures was created to engage player's curiosity in the mysteries of nature that exist across the world. The game takes each player on an adventure/race across the globe in search of their creature's evidence cards. The first player to collect all three evidence cards and make it back to their creature's country of origin wins.

The game is easy to set up. All we did was unfold the game board; place the stack of 16 creature cards next to the game board; set up the evidence cards that are in a box; and place the passports next to the game board.

To play the game, each person chose a pawn. One player (we chose Sophia, who is the oldest child) distributed a card from the top of the creature card deck for each person.

Sophia distributing a creature card to each player.

Then, each player (starting with the youngest child, in this case, Olivia), flipped over her card and read aloud for everyone to hear. This step (as long as reading the evidence cards during the game) helps with reading skills and introduces young readers to new words. There were quite a few new words that Olivia learned this morning while playing the game.

Olivia reading about her mysterious creature.

Then each player puts her pawn on the indicated country of origin. This was a great opportunity for both girls to find countries on the game board that they have not yet studied.

Sophia and Olivia finding the countries of origins 

for their mysterious creatures.

After all the cards were read and all the players took their place on the map, the youngest player (Olivia) rolled the big red die, and moved towards the country with the first piece of evidence. We continued to play in a clockwise fashion.

Once a player landed on the first country she then pulled out the first card (in order: Photo>Film>Physical) out of the Evidence Files with the corresponding country abbreviation for their creature.

The player then read the information on the back of the card for everyone to hear, making note of the next country to where she must travel.

Sophia reading the information about her mysterious creature.

The girls enjoyed reading these cards, and feeling like they were "detectives."

The first player to get all three cards assembled and land back on their creature's country of origin won. Players must land on the finish space by exact count, unless she has a passport card.

Olivia moving her pawn around the game board.

What makes this game fun is that it simply isn't a move-your-token-around-the-game-board type game. There are:
=> airport spaces (where you followed dotted lines to the next airport space),
=> swap position spaces (where you could swap positions with any player if you wanted to),
=> go back 10 spaces, and
=> passport spaces (where you picked up a passport to allow travel through any country via dotted black lines).

One thing that we liked about this game is that it is unpredictable - you may think you are close to winning, but then another player can switch spaces with you or you have to go back ten spaces.

Mysterious Creatures is designed for up to four players; and the recommended age is 8 years old and above. The playing pieces are small (as is typical of most games), so be aware that these may be choking hazards for young children (under age 3).

This game has several education benefits:
=> Learn world geography.
=> Learn about other country's unique creatures.
=> Be inspired to discover the truth of the world's mysterious creatures.

Mysterious Creatures was a lot of fun, and it is certainly going to be a game that we play often. In fact, after we finished the first game, Sophia asked, "Can we play again?" So, we played another round, this time learning about three more mysterious creatures.

The mysterious creatures that are featured in the game are intriguing; and are ones that we are going to do some more research on now that we have been introduced to them. There are also links and codes on some of the evidence cards so players can watch videos on the internet of the "evidence."

Mysterious Creatures is a perfect game for a homeschooling family - or any family - who likes to challenge themselves, spend time together, and be inspired to further explore and learn about new things.

To purchase this game, please visit the Mysterious Creatures website. Shipping is very quick...and your family will be playing this fun game in no time at all!

Disclaimer: Although I received a complimentary Mysterious Creatures game in exchange for a review, my positive opinions are all honest ones. I only recommend products or services that I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.  

Heartwarming Animal Stories Review - "The Angel by My Side"

For the tenth book in the Heartwarming Animal Stories 2012 Reading Challenge, I chose The Angel by My Side by Mike Lingenfelter and David Frei.

This has been one of my favorite books that I have read this year. It is one that I found as I was browsing in the animal section at the library; and I'm so happy that I check it out.

Basically the story begins in 1994 and focuses on the author, Mike Lingenfelter, who was expecting that his life would end soon. After two serious heart attacks and an open-heart surgery, most of the pleasure he had in his life had been stripped away.

Despite the dismal look he had about his life, his doctors still held out hope for him. Their vision was that a dog might motivate him to get out of the house and exercise. They understood the role animals could have in improving human health and enhancing the quality of life.

In fact, individuals who have mental illness or low self-esteem focus on themselves; animals can help them focus on their environment. Rather than thinking and talking about themselves and their problems, they watch and talk to and about the animals.

With that advice, Mike reluctantly found a golden retriever named Dakota who had been rescued from a neglect situation.

As Mike's wife, Nancy, said, "This dog has been through a lot, Mike. He's had a bad heart, people have given up on him, and he keeps getting one more chance to survive. Does that sound familiar? He's just like you."

Despite his initial resistance to having another dog, Mike and Dakota formed a bond that not only provided exercise, but emotional and medical support.

Dakota became Mike’s protector and his best friend, saving Mike’s life many times after forewarning him of oncoming heart crises. Dakota gave Mike back his dignity, his pride, and his life.

Working with Doctor of Veterinary Medicine who had special skills in communicating with animals, Mike learned that Dakota was a spirit guide, and it was his duty to share Dakota and the power of the human-animal bond with the world.

As Brenda (the DVM) said, "This is a spirit guide in a dog's body...some people think of them as angels - they follow us around and sort of hang around up there in the subconscious and help us....I knew it the moment I connected with Dakota - there was so much energy there, it was different from an ordinary animal."

Mike shared, "I had a new purpose in life, and I was happy and productive. It wasn't that long ago that I was trying to figure out how to end my life. Now I couldn't wait to get up each day and share my life with Dakota - and to share him with everyone who might need him. It was about this time that I began to realize that Cody was indeed a guardian angel, one who walked by my side every single day."

The duo made a tremendous impact on so many lives - children who were battling for their own lives at a Shriner Hospital; seniors; children enrolled in special education programs...to name a few groups benefiting from Dakota's and Mike's visits.


Mike said, "We visited a lot of seniors. The seniors all wanted to talk - sometimes they were melancholy, and sometimes they wanted to share happy memories. The important thing here wasn't so much what they were saying, but just that they were talking at all.

"Some of them, who were suffering from various stages of dementia or Alzheimer's Disease, were sure that he was their dog. 'Please take good care of him for me. I miss him so,' was something I heard more than once. I always promised these people that I'd take care of him as if he were my own."

When I read this, it reminded me of my Dad who had Alzheimer's Disease. Seeing and touching animals while he was in various stages of the disease meant a lot to him. There was a special connection that they had with one another.

When he was in the very late stages of Alzheimer's Disease, we brought Eenie (the cat) to see my Dad. His face, expression, and what he said all showed how happy he was to touch the cat. I could completely understand the positive impact Mike and Dakota had on seniors.

Dakota and Mike also did a lot of work with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), and educating business owners about the rights of people who have service dogs to help them in their daily lives.

Ultimately, the story ends when Dakota must fight a courageous and dignified battle for his own life. Even in that process, Dakota taught Mike and others so much about living and the value of life and the human-animal bond.

Mike said, "I'll never get over losing Dakota, and I don't want to. But I have learned to cope with losing him as I think about the wonderful life we had together and all the great lessons he taught me and everyone else he touched."

He continued, "At the end, Cody showed me how to die, and that in death, there's freedom and new life. But Dakota isn't dead. He lives on:

- in the memories of all of those people he touched and in all the awards that he was given;

- in all the wonderful people who volunteer their time in animal-assisted therapy, sharing unconditional love and helping those who may be sick, lonely, or hurting physically; 

- in all of those people with disabilities who count on a service dog to help them get along in their daily lives; and 

- in cancer patients - humans and animals alike - to remind them that there's always hope."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

There were some interesting things I learned while reading this book:

- About 200 years ago, a Quaker group in England used animals to help patients in asylums learn to cope with everyday life. But animal-assisted therapy wasn't really documented until World War II, when hospitals used animals to help members of the armed forces recover from the physical and mental aspects of injuries and trauma.

- There are three theories about why dogs are able to alert people about epileptic seizures, diabetic attacks, or heart issues:
1. The animal notices subtle changes in behavior or muscle tremors of which the person is unaware.
2. The animals senses electrical disturbances within the nervous system associated with an impending seizure.
3. The animal smells a distinctive odor given off by the person before an attack.

- Cancer is the number-one natural cause of death in dogs and cats in the United States. As for the type of cancer that Dakota has, the average dog will live only a few months unless they get some prompt care.


- The ADA recognizes that there are "invisible" and "hidden" disabilities - epilepsy, lung disease, diabetes, psychological or emotional disorders, and hearing and vision impairments all fall under that definition. People with those disabilities also have the right to have a service dog with them at all times.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Angel by My Side is an inspiring book that I would highly recommend...especially for those who enjoy dogs, animals, and learning more about the animal-human bond.

Review and Giveaway: NewGreens Berry Drink

This year, it is my goal to completely eliminate pop from my diet. It's no easy task. After 28 years of drinking 3-4 cans of Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi a day, I am finally down to just one can a day this month. I will do this for one more month before not consuming any pop starting on November 1st.

This month, I am looking for healthy alternatives to pop. I've tried filtered water (I have a Britta container in the refrigerator that filters water from the well) and cucumber-lemon water so far this month. So, NewGreens came at the perfect time. 

I needed another "go to" and I have found it! NewGreens is a complete superfood drink. According to Pure Prescriptions, the NewGreen Berry formula has 54 individual antioxidants, enzymes, and key botanical ingredients.

I tried the NewGreens Berry formula which has more than 15 servings of fruits and vegetables per scoop! 

The package of New Greens and cup.

The package says that it is "a special blend of five proprietary formulas that contain all-natural and healthy organic ingredients to support:

=> body repair and longevity

=> immune system health

=> optimum digestion

=> body detoxification

=> maximum vitality

=> mental clarity."

With all these health benefits, I would think that having New Greens at least once a day will help me feel a lot better than I was when I was drinking pop and/or just water.

The mix comes in a 10.58 ounce (300 gram) package along with a reusable cup. With markers on the sides of the cup in both milliliters and ounces, it is very easy to measure out the liquid. I used filtered water to make my drink. However, juice, milk (e.g., rice, almond, soy) also could be used. 

Adding the mix to the filtered water

in the cup provided by New Greens.

Initially, I stirred the powdered mix into the water. However, there were little bits of mix that were floating on the top. So, I put the lid onto the cup and shook it vigorously. That did the trick. It foamed up, and then settled down a lovely deep red color. 

One delicious serving of New Greens is 10 ounces.

The bottle holds 20 ounces of liquid, 

so once I was done drinking the New Greens in the morning,

I filled it up with filtered water to measure how much water 

I was drinking during the day.

The flavor of NewGreens Berry formula is delicious. It's a sweet, berry flavor. Yet, it is not at all overly-sugary in taste. In fact, the only sweetener I saw listed on the package is stevia. (Stevia has no calories, no carbohydrates, and a zero glycemic index which makes it a great natural alternative to sugar and chemical sweeteners. Stevia is up to 300 times sweeter than sugar.)

NewGreens has a refreshingly complex taste with all the different fruits. Some of the familiar fruit that is in NewGreens Berry Drink include: acai, organic cranberry, organic blueberry, organic pomegranate, black currant, boysenberry, organic red raspberry, organic strawberry, blackberry, organic pear, organic apricot, and papaya.

In addition to the fruit, there were a variety of vegetables: carrots, spinach, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, tomato, broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, celery, and cucumber...to name a few.

I liked that there is a combination of nine traditional herbs and extracts to help with energy - without the negative effects from caffeine. This is important to me as I transition off Diet Coke/Diet Pepsi which has caffeine. To have something natural that helps enhance my energy and stamina will be critical during the next few months.

The package says that NewGreens is a dietary supplement, so it's not a replacement for eating fresh fruits and vegetables. Nonetheless, there would be no way I could get such a variety of organic fruit, vegetables, herbs, and fiber each day into my diet - or that of my daughters.

The cup itself is great as a water bottle once I finished drinking the NewGreens in the morning. With the measurements on the side of the cup, I know exactly how much water I am consuming during the day.

Many thanks to Pure Prescriptions and Tracey at Don't Mess with Mama for giving me the opportunity to review NewGreens; and providing a lucky winner with a 30-day sample of NewGreens (a $44.97 value). 

** Disclosure: This review reflects my words and opinions. Although I was not paid to complete this review, I did receive a complimentary product for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. Rather, I was encouraged to write an honest review. Regardless, I recommend products or services I have used personally and believe will be good for my readers. **

Now...one lucky reader will receive a 30-day sample of NewGreens Complete Superfood Drink of her/his choice (up to $49.97 value).

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