Fun, easily understood, hands on!
929663
This is a VERY fun book, and litterally, you start reading the tarot and asking questions about your life in ten minutes.  Great as a workbook when newly introduced to the tarot, and experienced alike. The book uses the traditional Waite tarot, but it is usable with any deck, as I use the Witches Tarot.  Some of the cards are different, but the book is still very easily understood.
Tarot in Ten Minutes explains many different spreads, and you don't just read about them, you use them as soon as you are introduced to each one. How very fun!
Again, a great book for an introduction to the tarot, but would reccommend reading more than just this book, because tarot is all about intuition, which this books mentions nothing about.  Once a card starts saying something other than what the books say to you, it's time to throw out the books(not litterally of course)!
2163226
This is a fun, easy, and entertaining way to learn new vocabulary words. I learn better visually and Werdnerd's method nails it for me. I see it ... I get it!
3180009
I was drawn to the title of this volume and once I started it, I couldn't put it down.  Practically every page made me laugh or say to myself, "Yes, I know what you mean," or reflect on my own learnings in similar situations.  Katrina has a easy, flowing style of writing, and I found myself using the "Notes" section as a reminder about things I wanted to follow up on.  I've gone back to the book several times; it's a book of suggestions, "This is what worked for me," as opposed to a how-to.  How-to's can be annoying; learning from another's experience is fun.  So this book was fun:  fun to read, fun to try some things out, and fun to see myself and laugh.  All three books are worth reading; this one was my favorite!
1772577
Like any mom, I have days where I cannot for the life of me think of something new and interesting to do with my toddler.  Always wanting to stimulate her growing mind in a playful way, I picked up this book.  It has been a lifesaver for us!  We have had so much fun with this book!

Not only are the ideas in here lots of fun for the two of us, but they are also inexpensive and easy enough to do at home.  They don't take a lot of supplies, and the books gives lots of variations to try with each 'recipe'.  I love that I am able to make doughs and paints for my little girl to play with, just using items found around our house.  The recipes have always been spot on as well.  Not once have we mixed something up and thought it didn't turn out right.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with a toddler, that is looking for more activities.  Its great fun, written well, easy to use, and it lets your toddler begin to explore art! (as well as the world around them)  I plan on picking up more of the authors books as my daughter gets older!
1510329
My 70-something dad and I have enjoyed learning from this set.  Easy, clear and builds on the language in conversation as you learn.  Would buy again!
2121361
If you are looking for a successful reading program that's affordable, easy, and fun to use, then The Reading Lesson is a must have!

I bought the complete Reading Lesson set for my four year old twin daughters.  By age three, we'd managed to teach them the alphabet and letter sounds; however, I didn't know where to begin to teach them to read.  I had read several other books on the subject, but they just weren't what I needed. Either I did not finish the book because it was too confusing or if I did manage to complete the book, I'd have no idea how to implement what I'd just read.  With the Reading Lesson, getting started was literally as easy as opening the book to Lesson One.  Everything I needed to know to teach my daughters to read was explained in a clear and concise way, with no additional prep work needed on my part.  What a timesaver !!

In the beginning, I started out slowly using the book and the letter sounds VHS, which was just what we needed at the time.  Since The Reading Lesson COMBINES phonics with sight words (which I love), I feel like my daughters are truly learning how to read and decipher words for themselves; they are not simply memorizing words, except for articles, irregularly spelled words, etc. Each lesson provides lots of review opportunities, as well as cute illustrations which my twins love to color after our lesson is completed.  Now that we are a little further into the book, I adapted our lessons to include guided reading activities and writing activities using the Writing Lesson CD.  Since Montcastle Company offers so many other products to supplement The Reading Program book, the possibilities are endless.  With a little creativity , this program will be able to grow with my two daughters for many years.

The Reading Lesson is absolutely one of the best investments that I've made in my children's education.  At age four and a half, they are able to sound out small words and read some leveled readers, but more importantly we are having fun as a family.  This is our special time together, and we treasure it.  The girls actually ASK for their reading lesson every day and are so disappointed  on days when we are forced to miss it.  They eagerly show everyone what the are learning and even use our manual to "teach" their stuffed animals how to read.  Wathching my daughters have fun with learning and knowing that I'm instilling a love of reading in them at the same time is priceless.
1186750
Even near non-readers can and will read it!  Wish had it before retired from teaching.  It looks easy enough, resembles a comic book, and speaks to all at different levels of reading AND maturity!
1855654
What a great book! The book is geared towards toddlers and sections are divided by create, explore, pretend, sense, and play. Besides teaching problem solving, language skills, social skills, etc, these activities are bonding time as well. Most are very simple, some very creative, but all sound like fun! I especially liked the chapter senseit was very hands-on and Im tempted to try a few of them myself! This book will be passed on to my grand-niece, who has small children of her own but also runs a day care. This would be the perfect book to pull out on a rainy day! Recommended for anyone with, or caring for children.
I took advantage of an offer from the publisher to get this book free and with no obligations. This review is given by choice.
2143585
Wow!  How refreshing!  This book explains lots of fun stuff about kitchen physics...it provided interesting conversation at the dinner table and taught my 10 year old a thing or two (if that's possible...they seem to know everything!).  Well written and funny, although it does get pretty "molecular" (meaning too advanced for this college education) but still fun and a good read.  I imagine it will stay in my library for a good long time yet!
1610995
Stretching, wiggling, bouncing - little children are full of movement.  This book captures this kinesthetic energy in a creative, lively way.  Children are invited to join the fun, as the book opens with "Stretch with me,/ hands in the air!/ Count to three..../ Hold it right there!"

The humorous rhyming text works well as a read-aloud.  The scenes change as the dog meets different animal friends and travels to different settings. "I can stretch underwater,/ I can stretch on a wave./ I can stretch on a surfboard/ if I'm very, very brave."  The illustrations are clean, sharp pen and ink drawings, combined with bright digital color and photographic elements.  The layout is engaging, as text elongates, curves and responds to the pictures and images. This book makes a fun way to add movement to story time!
4751890
The most important thing for young children when starting to learn sounds, letters, pre-reading skills, and eventually reading (in my opinion :) ), is that it be FUN!  Otherwise you're just trying to force the concepts into them, and oftentimes they don't gain a love for learning that they could.  This book is an excellent blend of fun and engagement so that kids are excited to open it up and go through it multiple times, while efficiently teaching the letter sounds and blends.  Because of this, the sounds of letters and blends and the reading skills introduced are firmly and quickly grasped and incorporated by the child.  My 4-year-old loves this book and has a great time doing the hand motions with me.  Fantastic book.
4761463
Kurtz does a great job at creating interactive, fun, and thought provoking pages. I don't usually write in books I own, but this one you have to! I love just opening to a page reading the one line of instructions and then going at it. Helpful to get out of a stuck mindset, to move you forward, all the having a bit of fun. Recommended for those who need a bit of a pick me up!
1772169
This DVD takes the learning of alphabets to make words, to a new level. A super duper FUN level. It teaches, without preaching. It is fun, witty, and very simple to comprehend. My daughter loves it. She responded to its concepts really quickly and after one single view, she could tell me all about sticky vowels being the glue to make words. Do buy this if you have toddlers, or need to buy good gifts for toddlers. It's great!

For the adults, you can actually have fun with your kids watching the DVD. Or you can just chill, knowing that your kids are learning something while you are taking a breather!
1555744
Wonderful resource that explains selected math concepts in a clear, organized, approachable manner. It is geared for 8-11 year-olds, but also great for adults like me who need to give their out-of-shape math muscles a good workout. Each chapter begins with a brief introduction to the topic, definition of terms, and basic problem-solving techniques, followed by ten problems of increasing complexity. There are solutions included at the end of the book, so if you get stuck you can take a little peek. An excellent guide that makes learning math enjoyable and rewarding!
681605
We have been using FIAR and Before FIAR with our 3 children for over a year and just LOVE it!
Our children have learned to LOVE good books and often beg to do "more FIAR Mummy".They are aged 5 4 and 2 (we use  Before with the 2 year old).
This is a very easy programme to use for a  home teacher as we are . i just pick up the manual and choose some of Janes  great ideas.  We live in New Zealand and yes ,unfortunately some of the  books are out of print,  BUT even in our country I have been able to fine  ALL but one of the books in the LIBRARY .I would  recommend this  book,  and others by the same author,  to  anyone wanting to teach their children  at home  who is looking for an easy to use , fun , gentle unit study based  on great childrens literature.
I have found spending time together doing  this has not only taught my children many things (how many 5 year olds  learn about Italy , China and use terms like personification and remember  and understand them! )it has also brought us closer together as a family as  we all snuggle on the couch to begn our learniong togther!
854245
As a parent who loves to do projects and experiments with my kids (anything to get them learning thru hands on materials!) and has tried and bought LOTS of books over the years, this is one of my favorites! Tons of pictures to help you with experiments, easy to follow steps, simple explanations of why, a large variety of projects divided into categories. The back of the book has a great resource to help you plan a week of experiments/activities, printables, and a list of where to find additional project extensions on the web to further an experiment or idea. There's also a few blank pages in the back which is perfect for a book like this so you can jot down some notes about the experiments (what worked best or how to do it smoother next time!). There are a few things you have to purchase for some of the experiments, like thermochromic pigment for the color changing play doh (I found it here on Amazon for about $18) and 3 volt coin batteries and copper taping. But, they are all worthy purchases for the awesome project you're producing. I've been learning right alongside my kids! This book has been great for my 4 year old but the experiments are still new and fun for the 8 and 11 year olds I babysit. Absolutely recommend!
3824094
Fun and enjoyable for kids and curious parents! It's divided into 4 categories:
1) Card tricks -including 8 different card tricks such as: The Impassible, Mystery card trick, the deck Talks, and my favorite, Traveling card.
2) Money tricks -including 5 effective tricks with money such as; The French Drop, Coin Matrix, Quarter through table and more
3) Everyday Objects -tricks with easy to find things around the house such as napkins, pens, rubber bands and more (7 tricks)
4) Rope Magic - includes 5 tricks such as Knot Off Rope, Cut and Restore rope, Shortening & Lengthening, Instantly One...

The DVD has interactive menu, which without hassle allows you to go to the trick you like the most and practice it over and over.
The instructor is young yet speaks intelligently, and the way he explains the tricks are done makes you want to learn them all.
I find this DVD very entertaining and highly recommend it to all!

You can view a trailer at [...]