iTunes Giveaway and Touch 'n Sing Review

Brayden and Julie are getting to the age where anything musical is just thrilling - they smile, bop their head and dance along.  When you pair this with the colorful excitement of my cell phone or tablet, it becomes a great combination that will really hold their attention!

We recently had the opportunity to check out a new app for kids from SumahoMAMA called Touch 'n Sing and it was a total hit!  The app has been out or a while on itunes and recently launched for android.  Designed for kids aged 2-7, Touch 'n Sing (short for Touch and Sing Along Picture Book) hopes to entertain and engage with bright colors, movement and music, while adding a touch of education.

The app is actually a suite of smaller games which kids can access from one place.  The app is free to download and includes two free games - The Hokey Pokey and The Alphabet Game.  Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is also a special freebie until September 1st.  These three are great to get started and my kids loved the songs so much that they'd run across the room to play when I opened the app.  At only 19 months, they're a little young for some of the games, but still loved the cause and effect experience of touching the screen and activating a special little sound or motion from the cast of characters.

When your little ones have mastered the free games (or you're just hoping for a little variety), additional games are available for purchase - most of which are only $.99.  They even offer two "Super Value Packs" where you can get six games for $4.99.  
As a family who likes to have it all, we bought both Super Value Packs so we could try all of the games. Here's a few of our favorites:
- Ten Little Indians
- Old McDonald Had a Farm
- I've Been Working on the Railroad
- Parade of the Wooden Soldier

These four were ideal for us because the child didn't really need any "skill" to have fun.  Touch the screen, and it'll make a noise, label the item, do a little dance, or give some other cute little gratification.  I would definitely recommend these for the littlest players!

For older children, I loved the pattern practice offered in The Farmer in the Dell, sorting in Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree, and the interactive matching challenge in The Muffin Man.

I will give one slight caution though to some conservative parents that are easily shocked - there are a few surprises you may want to watch for for sensitive/overly curious kids.  The Itsy Bitsy Spider does have spiders that eat butterflies and ladybugs if you guess incorrectly.  Similarly, the dog in BINGO will run over the young boy if he's not the correct pet indicated.  I was just slightly disturbed by the "baby or egg" choice in Turkey in the Straw and very surprised to see the animal on my screen simulating a birth of said baby or egg.  Nothing that's a huge deal in my perspective, but just another reminder that families should always be actively involved with their children's digital entertainment experience.

Overall, Touch 'n Sing is a fabulous app that I am so excited to have in my entertainment arsenal when we're out and about with twins.  I'm thrilled that I can have it right at my finger tips, where ever we go, and that with such a range of ages, it'll grow right along with them.  It's rare that I find an app that appeals to both of my toddlers, and Touch 'n Sing review seems to offer a little something for everyone.

Touch 'n Sing is available for download on iTunes and at Google Play.  Learn more about the app and it's developers on the SumahoMAMA website, twitter and facebook page.

SumahoMama wants to help you get started in buying additional games for your favorite kid by offering a $10 iTunes Gift Card!  Enter using the Rafflecopter form below - Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest ends August 13th at Midnight and winner will be contacted by email.  Winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.


Make my day and vote for me - please and thank you! :-D

The Pout-Pout Fish: Our Favorite Tales

Some of my favorite childhood memories were cuddled up with my Dad, reading a story. This was an EVERY night occurrence and something I am so thankful for.  So it's no wonder that with my own children, I am committed to offering these same memories for my own babes - albeit a little harder with four grabby hands lunging for the book.

I've decided that I'd like to share some of my favorites with my readers in a series called "Our Favorite Tales."  Up first is Pout-Pout Fish written by Deborah Diesen and illustrated by Daniel Hannah.

I first ordered this book without much thought from the Scholastic Book Club but am so thrilled I did!  My absolute favorite thing about this story is the sing-songy rhythm created by the terminal rhyme of each verse.  Great alliteration makes it a joy to read out loud.  I have so much fun with it that I'm not sure who likes it more - my kids or me!

The plot line centers on the Pout-Pout Fish who can't seem to shake a bad case of the grumps.  He seems pretty settled in that being  "just the way I am" despite numerous interventions with friends who recommend that he "turn that frown upside down."  Mr. Fish is always polite though in his declines of advice.  His catch phrase throughout is "blub, bluub, bluuub" which is great to vocalize when reading out loud.  Another great line is "Hey Mr. Fish with your daily scaly scowl, I wish you wouldn't greet us with a grimace and a growl."

I won't spoil the surprising and unexpected ending for you as it warmed my heart in the best kind of way and I'm excited for you to experience it for yourself.  I will say though, that someone interesting comes into Mr. Fish's life that changes his whole way of thinking.  A fantastic happy ending!

I'd really recommend this book for all ages - from birth to six.  A board book edition is also available which might make a great choice for the littlest readers.  With sweet sing-songy rhyme, adorable pictures and a truly climatic plot (for a kids book) this one is a top choice!

If you want to catch a preview of all the things I love about this book, listen along to Gordon True's youtube version, set along to music.  I told you it had great rhyme and verse!

Like our review?  Please vote for our blog at the links below!

Pittsburgh Free for Kids Link-Up

This summer has been so fantastic in finding free or inexpensive activities in Pittsburgh.  We were thrilled to have found Curious Little Kid's "20 Things to Do in Pittsburgh for under $20"  and Macaroni Kids whose resources offer great suggestions for families.

I've seen so many great Pittsburgh posts recently that I thought it would be fantastic to start a Pittsburgh Free for Kids link-up to bring many of them together!

So have you written a post lately about somewhere you've been that was free (or nearly free) that you'd like to share?  Fill out the form below and share with us!

Just a few requests to keep the party fun:

1 - Click the link below, and a new window will open for you to enter your post title and link.  Once completed, come back here to confirm that you're added to our list!

2 - All posts should be about places within a 2 hour drive of the City of Pittsburgh.  All posts should include information about free or inexpensive activities (under $20).

2 - Consider including our Link-Up button (linked below) in your post!  Copy the code under the image and put it into the HTML portion of your post.  Not required, but we'd love to be included!  We'd also love for you to pin or tweet this post to help us help you get more viewers!

3 - Click around and visit some posts to find even more fun things to do with kids in Pittsburgh!

4 - Come back and link again next time you post another great activity!  We'll keep the button in our sidebar so you can find it easily.  

Thanks for visiting, and we can't wait to see all the places you have to share!

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.mytaleswithtwo.com/2013/08/pittsburgh-free-for-kids-link-up.html" title="My Tales with Two"><img src="http://i1050.photobucket.com/albums/s408/MyTalesWithTwo/smlPicPittsburghFreeActivitiesforKids.jpg" alt="My Tales with Two" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Western Pennsylvania Balloon Quest: Field Trip Friday

Every so often, my mind used to wander to a time when, as a child, we'd been coming back from my Dad's company picnic, and had the pleasure and surprise to see numerous beautiful hot air balloons floating through the sky above us.  We'd stopped and taken the time to enjoy them, and the memory has lingered throughout the years.

Brayden just adores looking at Balloons (especially shiny Mylar ones) and I thought he might think that seeing hot air balloons was pretty cool too. It turned out that I started googling local hot air balloon festivals at just the right time, as our local one was just the next weekend after my search!  The Western Pennsylvania Balloon Quest  is an annual event in New Castle, PA on the fourth weekend in July every year, and is done in partnership with their local fire department. It's very well established, having been operating since 1989.

We arrived right on time to see about fifteen balloons inflate, lift off, and drift over the horizon.  All in all, it was a pretty quick experience but one WELL worth the hour drive up there - we'll definitely visit again!

From our experience here's a few things I'd share:
- Get there early!  There were a billion people and they all have to park.  We were so close to missing the action that next year we'll definitely get there earlier.
- Many people bring lawn chairs and settle in.  There's tons of room to get a good view so there's plenty of room for all.
- Bring your camera!  People were all over the place with DSLRs.  So glad I had my camera with me for some beautiful shots you don't see every day!
- The event happens all weekend with a balloon glow on Thursday night, and launches Friday Night, Saturday morning and evening, and Sunday morning and evening.  Plenty of time for everyone to check it out!

website: http://wpaballoonquest.webs.com/

address
UNION TOWNSHIP VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT

304 SOUTH SCOTLAND LANE

NEW CASTLE, PA 16101

After the balloons drifted out of site, we checked out the carnival happening on site.  There were numerous rides and food vendors, but nothing really "for us" with tiny kids that I am still super cautious with.  We did make our way to the fountain and duck pond right on site and had a great time checking out the ducks and munching on a snack.

We had a fabulous time and will definitely be making this a yearly tradition.  Perfect event for free family fun in the Pittsburgh area!

Be a pal and take a minute to vote! 

Pittsburgh Public Schools announces new Afterschool Program!

This content has been compensated as part of an Early Childhood Education promotion for Pittsburgh Public Schools. However, all opinions remain my own. #ppsafterschool

Before the babies were born (and even for a few months afterwards) any time someone would bring up the topic of "preschool" I would try to change the subject.  The subject was not my favorite for a few reasons.  I hated considering the financial reality - how would we afford a quality program for twins?  I was in baby bliss - how could I give up valuable "together time" in their short childhoods? I was in denial - believing that through the magic of pinterest, I could teach them everything they'd ever learn in preschool.

Today I'm speaking as a convert.  I've seen the light!  After numerous conversations with people whose opinions I trust, and some reading on the subject, I've come to realize that all of my objections truly had feasible solutions.  As a parent who wants the absolute best for her children, how could I keep them from something that research proves to be an imperative part of early school success?

As it turns out, Pittsburgh Public Schools agrees with the all the available research that tells us that investing in our early childhood education programs will give us the best "bang for our buck" in ensuring that all students have the opportunity to achieve.  Their goal is to help all preschool aged children obtain better school readiness and social competence skills by providing an environment and experiences that cultivate these skills.

The focus on early childhood education programs comes from the very top down with President Barack Obama, in his February 2013 State of the Union address, saying  “In states that make it a priority to educate our youngest children…studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job, form more stable families of their own.  We know this works.  So let’s do what works and make sure none of our children start the race of life already behind.”


So how does a busy family (with multiples or singletons) make it work?  With reports showing that only 7% of households have a "stay at home parent," the need for after school care has become a "deal breaker" for families who want to offer the best preschool programs to their children while juggling multiple schedules.

Luckily for Pittsburgh families, Pittsburgh Public Schools has recently announced the launch of their new Afterschool Program to make sure the students enrolled in their Early Childhood Education programs are offered a high quality learning experience, both during and after the traditional school day.  Programs will serve students throughout the city at Pittsburgh: Brookline Pre-K - 8, Colfax K-8, Crescent Early Childhood Center, Morrow Pre-K - 8, and Phillips K-5.  Children in pre-K through fifth grade we invited to participate.  And it's not only about convenience for families.  Their afterschool program offers so many benefits to participants!  Here's my top five favorite things to consider!

1 - Qualified Instructors and Research Based Curriculum: While I love my teenage babysitter as much as the next girl, she can't provide the meaningful and purposeful activities like Pittsburgh Public School's Afterschool Program will.  There's no channel on television that can provide age-appropriate activities in a safe environment either.  Appropriate child-adult ratios are maintained to ensure that each child gets the attention they need. I like high standards, and PPS agrees!

2 - FUN for Kids: Lets face it - if the kids are happy, the parents are usually pretty happy too.  This program offers amazing opportunities for kids of all ages to have a great time - whether that be little ones practicing gross motor skills through music and dance, or older children participating in enrichment programs with program partners like the Carnegie Science Center or Gateway to the Arts.  Parents can be confident that all this fun is had in a safe, reliable supervised environment.

3 - Relationship Building:  While having twins does offer my children the benefit of having a built-in playmate, our family believes it's critical that they reach out and build new relationships with their peers as well as with other adults.  It was this realization of what I was unable to offer my children in my own home that decidedly led us to the decision that preschool would be an important part of our children's experience.  Both in Pittsburgh Public School's Early Childhood day program, as well as in afterschool care, there are abundant opportunities to make new friends, learn to take turns, share, and work together as a team.  What an awesome foundation for future relationships to be built upon!

4 - Routine and Structure: Experts believe that young children do best in a predictable and well-ordered environment where they know what to expect.  The PPS Afterschool Program provides stability for children whose parents aren't able to be home at the end of the traditional school day.  Instead of juggling child care providers and work schedules, families can rest assured that their child has had their needs met with a snack, attention to homework, and plenty of time for fun.

5 - Affordability: Pittsburgh Public Schools' preschool program is offered at no cost for many families and at a reasonable cost for all families within the district.  With twins comes double the expenses - a real concern for our family when considering preschool opportunities.  For families participating in the PPS Afterschool Program, several pricing packages are available to make the program accessible to all families.

Ready to sign up?   The application deadline is August 9, 2013. Applications are available online at www.pps.k12.pa.us/earlychildhood or parents can request a hard copy by calling the Early Childhood Department at 412-325-4291.