Matchstick

Category: for 8-year-olds

  • The Phantom Tollbooth – Norton Juster

    [amazon_link asins=’0394820371′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’c493290a-459d-11e7-89db-35d054db529a’] I have met many, many adults who consider this book their favorite book of all time, even though they haven’t read it in twenty or thirty years. And I have met even more adults who have never heard of it. The story is ultimately an adventure story, with the […]

  • FunBrain

    I don’t think I’ve ever seen an ad for FunBrain but they have been around since 1997 and are one of the best sites for safe, educational games and videos for kids. Their target audience is pre-k through grade 8. The site is free to use although it pays for itself via ads. The ads […]

  • Schoolhouse Rock

    [amazon_link asins=’B00005JKTY’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’51a85cf2-424e-11e7-a6ad-49cc3733402e’] [amazon_link asins=’B00000DGSW,B00000DGSW’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’5c994f03-424f-11e7-a947-b91f18b3e938′] Schoolhouse Rock was a big part of my childhood. ABC would show the ~3-minute cartoons during ad breaks on Saturday mornings. “Conjunction Junction” was probably the most memorable for me. But then the 70s ended and the series was mostly unavailable until Disney […]

  • Doc McStuffins

    [amazon_link asins=’148472187X,B0087NJ7WE’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’afd9c35d-4181-11e7-95a2-dfad8c6ad370′] I first heard of Doc McStuffins from a joke Nick Offerman told about the ubiquity of the character and the show’s theme song. And I couldn’t relate directly, having never seen the show, but I had had similar experiences with other shows, such as Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood or Caillou, […]

  • Richard Scarry’s Best Mysteries Ever!

    Richard Scarry invented many memorable characters, including Huckle Cat and Lowly Worm, that lived on in cartoons and educational CD-Roms even after his death in 1994. This book seems to be based on the animated series, “The Busy World of Richard Scarry” and was written in 1998. It does not include the standard Scarry characters, […]

  • Philadelphia Chickens

    This is a unique book. Sandra Boynton (most famous for desktop calendars and coffee mugs with phrases such as “Don’t Let the Turkeys Get You Down”) wrote a musical and got performers (Kevin Bacon, Eric Stoltz, Meryl Streep, etc.) to sing the songs on the included CD. The CD is about 48 minutes long and […]

  • Sam and the Firefly – P. D. Eastman

    [amazon_link asins=’0394800060′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’5e84dd66-40c5-11e7-8e1a-cff1bab697d8′] This was one of my favorites when I was a kid but our kids haven’t been into it. I think the dark colors are less appealing or maybe a bit scary. I’ll try again. The lesson about listening is a good one.

  • Backyardigans

    [amazon_link asins=’B001NGPLA4,B003MEBTYW,B003P5GDM6,B003PVBJL0′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’47b9e070-40bd-11e7-9175-efbf230205ba’] This is a Nick Jr. cartoon that was very popular with our kids. The music is particularly good. 5 animal friends play together with a different theme (Egypt, under-the-sea, space, cowboy, etc.) each episode. The friends take turns being the ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’ and the overall tone […]

  • Spiderman 1967 series

    [amazon_link asins=’B0001I55O2′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’08afa41b-40bb-11e7-99fd-cfc1450c8bc4′] We watched a bunch of these on YouTube. They’re corny and dated but the kids loved them. And the old cartoons from the 60s seem so much less violent than those from other decades. The animation style is pretty simple, so older kids probably won’t be into it. But […]

  • Robot Turtles board game

    [amazon_link asins=’B00HN2BXUY’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’e6f31b11-3fe2-11e7-ac5f-47259560c847′] This is a clever game that got a lot of media attention when it came out, touting its ability to teach STEM concepts, specifically logical thinking. The box says for ages 4 and up but I don’t think 4-year-olds are able to grasp all the rules of the game, […]