Zephyr Hill

A Family Blog

A Colorful Logic Game for Children (and Adults) of all Ages

by 13 Comments

Are you looking for an educational game to add to your homeschool program? Or maybe you’d like something fun to do in your down time. Color Catch is a simple but stimulating logic puzzle that can be enjoyable for all ages. The goal is to arrange 5 puzzle pieces in a way that exactly matches the challenge in the guidebook.

We got to try this unique puzzle game as part of Timberdoodle’s blogger program.

The components of Color Catch are very simple, and include:

  • Portable game board with lid
  • 5 puzzle pieces
  • Booklet with 60 challenges, and solutions

As you can see, the frog, salamander and insect puzzle pieces are clear in the middle, so that when you place them on the game board, the colors show through. This is very important, because the color patterns must exactly match the challenge you’ve chosen from the book in order to be correct.

This is what a challenge and solution look like. Only the Starter puzzles have the solutions right under the challenge, so that young children can more easily learn how the game works before progressing to Junior, Expert and Master levels.

Solving the puzzle isn’t just about getting the right colors and the right number of frogs and salamanders. There’s another twist, because sometimes the critters have to be positioned in such a way that they are grabbing a bug with their tongue!

The hints provided in the booklet for Starter level are greatly appreciated. Sometimes you look at the puzzle and you just can’t get your brain to start working. One thing that it’s important to explain up front to your children is to expect some trial and error with Color Catch. More often than not, you won’t get it right on the first try.

This is a very tactile game, which the children and I love. The tiles are not only textured and transparent so that colors shine through, but they are thick, durable and easy to click in place.

You can play Color Catch alone or with a helper. I myself have been known to sit down and work on the more challenging puzzles over a cup of coffee. It’s a nice break between homework assignments!

Color Catch is part of Timberdoodle’s 7th grade homeschool curriculum, and helps to strengthen skills like concentration, visual perception and logic. I would recommend Color Catch as a supplement for subjects like math, logic and science. It’s also available for purchase separately for $14.99. Note: Color Catch is not suitable for ages 3 and younger.

It’s also travel-friendly and comes with a compact, portable travel case. Takes just about 30 seconds to put everything away.

If you get a chance to try Color Catch, let me now what you think!

6 Fun and Affordable STEM Activities

by 10 Comments

School is closed and summer is open for business! While one of the best places to be is outside and in the community, there will invariably be days when your children are stuck at home looking for something fun to do. If STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) are popular with your family, you’ll love my round-up of affordable (and some free!) activities for this summer.

#1 Break Secret Codes

Who doesn’t like to discover a secret? Breaking code is a fun and satisfying activity, and strengthens a child’s math and reasoning skills. Visit this Pinterest board for lots of free printable puzzles.

#2 Virtual Dissection Lab –

What if you could satisfy your curiosity without all the mess? Virtual labs reinforce science, biology and anatomy concepts and are 100% free.  The Science Bank can hook you up to a huge assortment of vertebrate and invertebrate dissections.

#3 Build a Castle

The builders and creators in your family will love creating medieval masterpieces with this first in a new series of graphic building cards. Paul Farrell’s visually appealing primary colored slotted pieces can be used to construct 3-D castles, walls, ramparts and more.

Newly released this spring, it’s designed for ages 3 and up. Our young children got the hang of this very quickly and within minutes had created some impressive fortresses and towers.

The included 10-page guide contains basic instructions, project ideas and a cool glossary of medieval architectural features.

The 63-piece Build a Castle set has just been reduced to $12.17 so grab yours before they are all gone! You can follow the artist on Twitter and Instagram. Pavilion Publishers are on social media, too!

Twitter ♦ Instagram ♦  Facebook

#4 Cool Math Puzzles

If math is your thing, this new book by Tracie Young and Katie Hewitt will deliver hours of summer reading and problem solving. Cool Math: 50 Fantastic Facts for Kids of All Ages, also from Pavilion, is for ages 12 and up and packed with fifty engaging ways to advance your math skills using multiples, probability, division, statistics and formulas.

Bring math to life with practical tips like calculating the distance of a storm or figuring tips at a restaurant. What in the world is a Fibonacci sequence or Kaprekar’s Constant? With Cool Math, your children will find that it’s fun to learn and easy to remember, but difficult to forget!

#5 Build a Straw Rocket

Drinking straws aren’t just for lemonade and root beer floats. Young engineers will have a blast building these colorful, launchable rockets using Buggy and Buddy’s free template.

Screen Shot from BuddyandBuddy.com

 

 

 

 

 

This post was a sponsored collaboration with Media Masters Publicity

 

Babyair Nursery Purifier Review

by 14 Comments

As parents, we spend a lot of time preparing our baby’s sleeping space, making sure that it’s cozy, safe and clean. But what about the air your child breathes? Airfree, an innovator in pure air technology, has introduced Airfree Babyair for your nursery. We received an Airfree Tulip 1000 Babyair to test and share with you.

This sleek and silent unit takes up very little space but works 24/7 to improve air quality for your baby. Babyair features a pastel moon-and-stars light projector to foster an aesthetically pleasing environment. Chose from blue, green or pink.

Setting up Babyair is easy as plugging it in. Once that’s done, the unit starts destroying airborne molds and spores, viruses, fungi, bacteria, pet dander, dust mites, pollen and even organic odors. Contaminated air is drawn in at the bottom and then pollutants will be obliterated by high heat within the  ceramic core. And it all happens silently, in the background.

Babyair will not be affected by existing ventilation or AC systems. Use it in any room of the house where you want to breathe safer, purified air.

Babyair is a freestanding, self-cleaning unit, so it’s trouble-free. The main precaution you’ll want to take is keeping hands away from the top of the unit, which becomes very warm after a while. One improvement I would suggest is to weight the base a little more; the unit can be easy to knock over.

Are you concerned about the air quality in your baby’s or toddler’s sleeping space? Give Babyair a try!

 

 

The HyperStrike Bow from Zing Toys

by 19 Comments

This fall, your children can take their backyard battles to the next level with Zing’s high-performance HyperStrike bow. Launching arrows up to 250 feet with a satisfying whistle, the HyperStrike is perfect for ages 14 and up.

Zing sent our boys a pair of bows to review. Each comes with a set of four foam arrows: Team Falcon is orange, Team Wolfe – green.

The anatomy of the arrow consists of a large padded foam head, tail fins, mounting hook and a whistling tip.

From the very first shots, Joseph and Benjamin were blown away with the power and speed of their Zing bows. Having already shot a traditional compound bow, Joseph felt like the HyperStrike successfully mimics the original, giving the shooter a real thrill. How far it will go depends on your arm strength, of course, but it’s designed to launch up to 250 feet, thanks to the low-profile bungee cords. Pretty nice for a toy, right?

Getting the arrows loaded is easy, via the built-in hooks, but it’s not a speedy proposition. It only took a few attempts for Joseph and Ben to get the hang of it. Beyond that, the payoff of HyperStrike’s amazing range is really satisfying. Accuracy, of course, will depend on the skill and patience of your shooter.

Another feature your teen will love? The tactical rail can be fitted with additional accessories like a scope or flashlight.

You’ll be logging a lot of hours outdoors enjoying this bow, but be sure to store it inside, where UV rays won’t degrade the components.

I asked my boys, “Are there any drawbacks?” They couldn’t come up with one. HyperStrike certainly lives up to its hype!

The Zing HyperStrike bow is suggested for ages 14 and up.

Right now at the Zing Online Store
Buy any bow and 2 packs of arrows FREE!

You can also find it at Target stores

Follow Zing on social media:

Facebook
Instagram

Is there a child or adult in your family that would love to shoot this long-range bow? Remember that Christmas is just two months away, so add it to your shopping list!

Hint Fruit-Infused Water for Kids + a Giveaway

by 68 Comments

Hint water kept me hydrated throughout my last pregnancy; it was a delicious way to enjoy my daily quota. I’m the person who buys bottled water and then never drinks it. Why would I reach for that when there are lovelier things to imbibe like black coffee and kambucha? Just kidding, I don’t drink fermented beverages. But anyway, with Hint in the fridge, I actually wanted to drink water again. The children were mighty jealous that mama had her own special water to drink.

But now Hint has added something new to their product lineup: hint® kids. I wonder if maybe one of my children wrote them an email……?

Founded by Kara Goldin in 2004, Hint Water is a result of her eye-opening search into diet soda ingredients. Kara was drinking 8-10 cans a day, and realized just how much junk was going into her body. After quitting cold turkey and going back to water, Kara decided a new twist on hydration was needed.

Hint contains no sugar, real OR fake. There are no additives, no calories, and no preservatives. The concept is very simple: it’s pure water infused with fruit essences. Hint has taken the popular concept of floating fresh fruit slices in a pitcher of water and conveniently bottled it up for the busy masses. And now we have a lot more choices beyond lemons, limes and berries – how do mango, kiwi and pomegranate sound?

Our family received the variety pack which contains 32 boxes (6.75 ounces each) and 4 flavors (watermelon, cherry, blackberry and apple).

When you think about drink boxes for your children, I bet a sugary beverage comes to mind. Because there just aren’t that many healthy choices on the market.

hint® kids is a healthy treat in a cute package (the cartoon fruit character on the box says “it’s fruity water!”) that’s recognizable to children, and the perfect size for tucking in their lunchbox or backpack. And ALL but one of my nine children love to drink it (her preference is either plain water or a sweet drink – to each his own!). 

Hint water is sourced from multiple US locales and purified through reverse osmosis. Low mineral water is an ideal medium for Hint’s subtle fruit infusions. 

If you have been searching for a more natural and healthy way to stay hydrated, please give Hint a try. And let me know which flavor is your favorite! Mine is a tie between blackberry and pineapple. 🙂

Stock your fridge and get free shipping
on 3 cases of Hint water!

Giveaway: One lucky Zephyr Hill reader will win a case of hint® kids with assorted flavors (watermelon, cherry, blackberry and apple)! This promotion is open to US residents and ends on October 14th. Enter using the form below and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway