Matchstick

Month: June 2017

  • Jungle Party

    [amazon_link asins=’0545362504′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’9a7f3bc8-5137-11e7-b51b-f3c717739285′] This is another book that our kids regularly pull off the shelf year after year. It comes with paper dolls, stickers, and a party hat, and other stuff, so has some extra fun. We have since lost everything but the book itself, but we still enjoy that. The papercraft […]

  • Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes

    [amazon_link asins=’1902272390′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’37b82cfb-512b-11e7-8cd6-a3b6529f2a19′] There are plenty of collections of nursery rhymes, partly because the text is not copyrighted and publishers don’t have to pay author royalties. But nursery rhymes remain popular among young children because they are fun and the simple rhymes make them a good too when learning to read. It’s […]

  • Peek-A Who?

    [amazon_link asins=’0811826023′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’b685d75e-511f-11e7-a717-8dac3381d19d’] This is one of the books that has survived multiple children. It’s been chewed on, dropped, thrown, left under couches and sofas, and traveled with us to faraway places. It’s only a few pages, with a handful of words, but this gets the A+ seal of approval from our […]

  • Parenting Rules

    A growing list of wisdom I’ve gained over the years. • No grudges/punishments after midnight. This applies to spouses as well. Everyone (including you) gets a clean slate in the morning. Everyone deserves a fresh start and second chance. And just as importantly, it’s stressful and exhausting to try and remember every bad behavior that […]

  • Word Girl

    The name is bland and the artwork is simple, but Word Girl is one of the better kids shows out there now. You can watch it for free on PBS Kids, where you can also play related games. The writing is snappy and funny enough to keep parents engaged. The voice acting is good, and […]

  • Star Wars

    We don’t have any Star Wars-related suggestions at Matchstick. I loved Star wars as a kid, and had the figures and the trading cards, and spent hours drawing T.I.E. fighters and X-Wings, but as a movie and a concept and a universe, Star Wars is candy. I loved Star Wars when I was a child, […]

  • Octonauts

    [amazon_link asins=’B00EOS48FC’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’01fed022-4a38-11e7-bbc9-75ea605df60c’] The Octonauts is a video series on Netflix and available on DVD. Some of the stories are also available as books and there are several toys out there of the characters. The look of the show is unique, a cross between kid-friendly 60s-era James Bond, ‘Sealab 2020’, and cutesy […]

  • Mr. DeMaio – YouTube Channel

    Mr. DeMaio is an elementary school teacher in New Jersey who makes silly and fun absurd educational videos for his students. Since 2013, he’s put a few dozen videos on his YouTube channel His playlists include songs about multiplication and social studies themes, but my kids’ favorites are the ones about space and science Unlike […]

  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Pop-Up Book

    [amazon_link asins=’0142419303′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’8c62edd6-470d-11e7-97b9-6516b5a5850c’] This is a story familiar to most. The advantage of the pop-up format is that it makes the book appealing for a wide variety of ages. Younger children will have fun simply exploring the pop-ups and finding every hidden element. Slightly older kids will pick and choose which pages […]

  • The Deep Blue Sea – A Book of Colors

    [amazon_link asins=’0439753821′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’7dff6053-470b-11e7-a710-954fd95c5db2′] This unique, somewhat minimalist book is about colors, but also encourages discovery and anticipation. The pictures begin right at the start of the book, on the inside of the cover, and continue all the way through to the inside of the back cover. Each page introduces a new color […]