10 Reasons We Love Tablets + A Kindle Giveaway

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

Image from FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Since we are on the go a lot the children utilized mobile devices frequently (tablets, Kindles cellphones etc). But they don't just use these devices to play games on. They use them to enhance their learning, take tours, read books, and identify nature/wildlife. Technology really is a wonderful thing if used correctly.

Here are 10 reasons why we love tablets:

1) There are tons of FREE eBooks available to download.
2) They work great with all learning styles.
3) They make it easy to keep up with current events - Flipboard Social News Magazine is one of our favorite apps.
4) They enhance tours of museums and landmarks - check out these must have fieldtrip apps.
5) There are lots of educational apps available and many are FREE - check out these 45+ FREE Android apps.
6) They help make history come to life - check out these great Civil War apps.
7) They help the environment by eliminating paper waste.
8) They teach very important and necessary computer skills such as typing, coding, etc.
9) They are great for researching topics - I love having Google on the go!
10) The children love to use them!!

I am sure I could come up with many more reasons as to why tablets rock! What are some of the reasons you love your Kindle, tablet or other mobile device?

The Crew is on hiatus from writing reviews until January. So while we have a little time on our hands, we thought we'd bless our awesome readers with a super cool Christmas Fire Giveaway! Twenty of our team members and The Old Schoolhouse have joined together to sponsor this incredible giveaway with 3 winners!

We are excited to be giving away not one, not two, but THREE Fire HD Tablets!

One person will win a Fire HD 7 Tablet, and TWO people will win a Fire HD 6 Kid's Edition (in your choice of lime green, blue or pink).

Fire HD 7 Tablet ($139 value, one winner)
Powerful, full-featured Fire HD tablet—with beautiful 7" HD display, 2x faster quad-core processer, dual speakers with Dolby Audio, and unsurpassed reliability in its class.

Fire HD 6 Kid's Edition ($149 value, two winners)
All-new Fire HD 6 tablet—with 1 year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, Kid-Proof Case, and a 2-year worry-free guarantee—up to $95 in savings

Giveaway
To enter, use the Rafflecopter below. The winner will be announced at our It's a Crew Christmas Facebook Party on Tuesday, December 16, 9PM ET.

RSVP for the Christmas Party

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and Conditions:
This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Void where prohibited by law. Must be at least 18 years of age. This giveaway is in no away associated with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Amazon. No purchase necessary for entry. Odds are determined by the number of entries. Selected winner will have 48 hours to respond to email notification to claim their prize or another winner will be drawn. Entry into this giveaway will subscribe you to the Schoolhouse Review Crew email list.

Sponsoring Crew Bloggers
Only Passionate Curiosity
I Choose Joy!
Homeschool Encouragement
Ben and Me
The Potter's Hand Academy
As We Walk Along the Road
Adventures with Jude
A Mama's Story
futureflyingsaucers
Kathys Cluttered Mind
Footprints in the Butter
Crystal Starr
Lextin Academy
Living Life and Learning
My Harbor Lights
Our Homeschool Studio
Pea of Sweetness
Embracing Destiny
Be The One
Simple Living Mama

Our team of bloggers will be sharing about how tablets can be used in homeschooling, and linking up their posts her for you to learn more.

An InLinkz Link-up

FreeBEE Friday Link Up - FREE Valentine's Day Resources

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

Welcome to a New Year of FreeBEEs. Every Friday I will share a great list of educational FreeBEE resources. PLUS...there's the added bonus of this being a monthly link up...where you can showcase your freebie posts or discover more amazing freebies from my blogging friends. The blogger link up will start on the first Friday of every month and end on the first day of the following month. Each month there will be a new link up. Link up anything that is educational and FREE including GIVEAWAYS!

Valentine's Day is right around the corner so to help you out with some Valentine's Day learning fun I have compiled a list of FREE (or very inexpensive resources) along with some fun crafts too!

Valentine's Day FreeBEEs:
With all of the upcoming holidays I decided to make my kids a holiday journal page. Be sure to download your FREE Holiday, Celebration, Festival Journal Page (you can also click on the photo below).

-Valentine's Day activity placemats
-Valentine's Day coloring pages
-Story of St. Valentine study

-Valentine's express lapbook ($1.00)
-100 FREE Valentine's Day worksheets

-Valentine math worksheets from A+ Interactive Math

-Valentine's day measurement math 
-Valentine's day idioms booklet
-February calendar cards
-Notebooking Valentine's day

-Friends and Heroes has a free music video, plus a couple of downloadable puzzles that highlight the Biblical idea of love and the real story of St. Valentine.
-Valentine's day book lapbooks and chocolate lapbook from Homeschool Share
-ABC Teach Valentines Day worksheets

-What's In The Bible? Printable Valentine cards.

Valentine Crafts:

My kids wanted to make their close friends some personalized Valentines. So I picked up a bag of foam sparkly hearts at Dollar Tree and here is the craft we came up with.

Buggy Valentines:
Materials:
-Pipe cleaners
-Foam, sparkly hearts
-Wiggle eyes
-Pom poms
-Felt
-Sequins
-Glue
-Scissors
-Magnets
-Construction paper (if you want to make a card too)

What to do:
1) Decide what bug you want to make using your hearts and let your imagination run wild. Use pipe cleaners for antennae, pom poms for heads, etc. My kids came up with butterflies, caterpillars, bees, worms, ladybugs and spiders.

Then the kids also had the great idea to turn their creations into magnets for their friends. They also made some cards out of construction paper. They wrote their fun phrases (see below) on the outside of the card and taped their bugs onto the inside.

You can come up with all sorts of fun phrases like, "I will worm my way into your heart," "I'm buggy about you," "Bee my love bug," "Bee my Valentine," "You are cute as a bug,"  or for someone you don't want as a Valentine, "You bug me."

For more fun Valentine crafts head over to my friend Joanne's blog!

Videos:
I made this YouTube playlist with several Valentine's Day videos.


eBooks/Audio Books:
-Valentine's Day! Learn About Valentine's Day and Enjoy Colorful Pictures - Look and Learn! (50+ Photos of Valentine's Day)

-Valentine's Day Love - 25 stories and a coloring book

-Valentine's Day Poems for Kids

-Valentine's Day is... The Story of Saint Valentine (Picture Book for Kids)

Also be sure to head over to Schoolhouse Review Crew Blog to find more amazing Valentine's Day resources (link live on February 5th).

I hope you find these resources useful. If you ever have any questions feel free to leave me a comment or email me. Also be sure to follow my Facebook Page where I post FreeBEEs daily.

If you have homeschool FreeBEEs to share

please link up at the bottom of this post!

You can copy the button from my right sidebar to share

somewhere on your blog.

Link up: FreeBEE Fridays with Kathy's Cluttered Mind.

Remember when it comes to FREE resources the internet and a good search engine are your best friend. Oh and a library card!

*Don't miss a single FreeBEE... Subscribe to Kathys Cluttered Mind*

  
Linking up with 3 Boys and a Dog, #getyourcrafton

Kindle Giveaway Loaded With Books - November 15th - December 3rd

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

Espacularaiesa, Deda Studios, and Beck Valley Books

Hosts

Celebrate Our Bloggin' Anniversary

November 15 to December 3

Christmas is approaching fast and I don't know about you but funds are a little tight right now so I have been entering giveaways again like a mad women again! For the last two years pretty much my children have received for Christmas has been won via online giveaways...I think we have spent less than $100 total the last two years! So here is your chance to win a Kindle for your someone special (or yourself...hey there is nothing wrong for winning a present for yourself).

All-New Kindle Fire 7" Tablet

7" HD Display, Wi-Fi, 16GB

PLUS

Loads of ebooks to go with it !!

Thanks to all these wonderful authors



AND
Runner-up ebook prizes too !!

#1 Runner-up gets
Sisters in Love by Melissa Foster
Lovers at Heart by Melissa Foster
Knowing Vera by Rachelle Ayala
Hidden Under Her Heart by Rachelle Ayala
The Symbolon by Delia Colvin
The Chronicles of Guiamo Durmius Stolo by Marshall Best

#2 Runner-up gets
Sisters in Love by Melissa Foster
Lovers at Heart by Melissa Foster
Knowing Vera by Rachelle Ayala
Hidden Under Her Heart by Rachelle Ayala
~~~
These Awesome Friends are celebrating with us!

Caffeinated Army Wife, Enchanted Savings, Savory Savings, Shopping With Les, Life With Norma Kay, Moms Living Thrifty, Semmes Savers, Xtreme Qpon, Monicas RRR, Leah Says Views, Minding My Manners, Coupon Free Stuff, Wrap You Skinny With Tanya, Keeping Your Cents, My Frugal Savings, Rockin Rebel Deals, Kathys Cluttered Mind, Leah Says Views.

We love finding and experiencing all the great adventures that reading brings us. I am so excited to be a part of this giveaway and for you to have a chance at this Kindle and the many FINE books listed above!

Our giveaway rules have changed! Please be sure to read them!

Please note that ALL entries will be verified.
We hope that this deters people from claiming entries that they are not entitled to.
Duplicate entries from the same IP address or email will not be accepted.
So all that done, on to your chance to win these awesome prizes!
Just enter the Rafflecopter below and
GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

KiteReaders Tablet Accessories Giveaway and Freebie

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

Hosted By: KiteReaders

Co-Hosted By: Kathys Cluttered Mind

Sponsored By: KiteReaders

Have you heard about KiteReaders? As a homeschool mom I am always on the search for awesome educational resources and KiteReaders definitely fits the bill.  KiteReaders is a multi-award winning digital publisher of children’s books. They have over 100 titles and 30 best sellers across Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iBooks! KiteReaders aims to provide quality content for children and their families and increase literacy around the world. For the last couple days my kids have had lots of fun playing with the KiteReaders eBooks and Book Apps. There are over 93 awesome resources for Kindle and Android. Visit KiteReaders at http://kitereaders.com and like them on Facebook too http://facebook.com/kitereaders!

I am thrilled to be co-hosting this fabulous giveaway with KiteReaders. They have an amazing selection of some of the most popular kid-friendly accessories available for your tablets out in the market today! We all know how difficult it can be to maintain a tablet when you have a young child who always wants to use it. Whether you want to protect your tablet with a kid-friendly case, use a handy stylus instead of your fingers to touch the screen, or simply accessorize your tablet with some awesome headphones, KiteReaders has got you covered!

When you enter the giveaway, not only will you have the chance to win one of these highly coveted prizes, but you will also be able to immediately download one of our award winning titles…for FREE! Simply enter the giveaway below and read more to learn all about the 20+ amazing prizes!

Also while your at it grab these two other eBook freebies currently on Amazon for Kindle called The Tale of Flopsy Bunnies and Little Miss Liberty.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway Rules:
 US Residents, 18 years and up only. 1 entrant per household. Winners will be picked randomly through the Rafflecopter entry form. Winners will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. The giveaway will run from 9/11/13 12am PST-10/6/13 11:59pm PST!

All winning entries are verified. 

Prizes Include: 
Gumdrop Kindle Fire Case (Valued at $49.99): 1 Winner
If you’re looking for the most rugged, durable yet ultimately affordable Kindle Fire protection, you found it in the Drop Tech Series Kindle Fire Case. Shock Absorption, drop protection, extreme ruggedness and hard-core readiness for all adventures, the Drop Tech Series Kindle Fire case specifically conforms to the shape of the Kindle Fire and offers multiple layers of protection. This transformer case features a unique, snap-on integrated screen for maximum protection. (http://www.gumdropcases.com/kindle-fire.html)

iPad Smart Cover (Valued at $39.99): 2 Winners
Snap the Smart Cover into place and it wakes up, stands up, and brightens up your iPad. It magnetically aligns for a perfect fit. It wakes and sleeps your iPad on open and close. It’s a handy stand for reading, watching, and typing. And it’s a way to make your iPad as personal on the outside as it is on the inside. (http://www.apple.com/ipad/accessories/)

iGuy iPad Case (Valued at $39.95): 2 Winners
Say hi to iGuy. He’s fun, free-standing and kid-friendly. Designed to fit all full-size iPads – even the new iPad 4! (http://www.speckproducts.com/iguy-for-ipad.html)

Fisher Price Kindle Fire Kid-Tough Apptivity Case (Valued at $29.99): 2 Winners
With a Kid-Tough rubberized casing and a clear film over the screen to protect against drips and sticky fingers, the next time your child asks to play with your Kindle Fire, you’ll be much more likely to say “sure”! (http://www.fisher-price.com/en_US/brands/kidtough/products/67522)

Griffin Technology Cinema Seat (Valued at $24.99): 2 Winners
CinemaSeat turns your iPad into the perfect in-car entertainment system. CinemaSeat’s wide, adjustable strap routes around your car seat’s headrest to perfectly position your iPad for backseat riders. Without sacrificing access to Multi-Touch display, controls or headphone jack, CinemaSeat lets them watch video, listen to music, play games and more. CinemaSeat gives your riders the best seats in the house. Or car. (http://store.griffintechnology.com/cinemaseat-2-for-ipad)

KaZoo MyPhones (Valued at $19.99): 2 Winners
KaZoo MyPhones have built-in-volume-limiting circuitry that keeps the sound pressure down to levels recommended as safe for young ears. Exposure to excessive levels of sound is more than a nuisance. It’s a health issue, especially for children. KaZoo MyPhones use a built-in, always-on sound-control circuit to cap peak volume levels at 85 decibels. That’s the maximum level recommended by many auditory health organizations in the U.S. and abroad. And, of course, KaZoo are kid-friendly with fun animal designs and durably constructed. (http://store.griffintechnology.com/kazoo-myphones)

Felix TwoHands Stand (Valued at $19.99): 2 Winners
When you want to use your NOOK hands-free, this ingenious accessory is the perfect solution. Made of sturdy molded plastic, it opens with a gentle squeeze and securely grips the edges of your NOOK, while the base rests on a flat surface to form a sturdy stand. The spring mechanism is both strong and flexible, so the Felix will hold your NOOK in either landscape or portrait mode; when closed, it’s only 7″ long, so it will easily slip into a pocket or bag. Add in the sleek, distinctive look – enhanced by a “felix” logo script printed in silver – and this is truly a must-have item for every NOOK owner. (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/home-gift-twohands-stand-in-black/25719436)

Crayola Color Studio iMarker (Valued at $15.99): 2 Winners
iMarker is the key to unlock limitless discovery and play on your iPad. It’s a digital marker, crayon, pencil and paint brush that interacts with the Crayola ColorStudio HD app to create all your favorite Crayola colors on the iPad’s Multi-Touch display. As you color, animated characters, music, sound and visual effects bring scenes to life, and surprises await on every page. (http://www.griffintechnology.com/crayola/colorstudiohd)

Marware UpSurge Speaker (Valued at $9.99): 2 Winners
The Marware UpSurge Mini Speaker delivers crisp, distortion-free sound from virtually any media player device. The UpSurge travels with you wherever you go, providing rechargeable, long-lasting audio enhancement in the palm of your hand. Its compact design twists and extends when in use for enhanced bass and sound quality. The UpSurge Mini Speaker is the perfect solution for your portable audio needs, whether you’re watching a movie, listening to music or playing a video game. (http://www.marware.com/upsurge-mini-speaker)

KiteReaders Stylus (Valued at $5.99): All Winners!
The KiteReaders Stylus is the perfect accessory to use on any of your touch devices! With a pen on one end and a stylus on the other, this stylus is a great tool to have in your pocket or bag at all times! 

FreeBee Fridays - Free Kindle and Audio Books

Jen, from Gricefully Homeschooling, and I team up, every Friday, to bring you a list of freebees...on both of our blogs.

PLUS...with the added bonus of this being a weekly link up...where you can showcase your freebies, things you've found online, and also, things you've received in the mail, totally FREE in the last week...or so. 

FreeBEEs:

If you have homeschool FreeBEEs to share
please link up at the bottom of this post!
You can copy the button from my right side bar.

Internet FreeBEEs:
Over the last few months we started utilizing Kindle eBooks and Audio Books a lot more. Now don't get me wrong I still love "real" books...you know the ones with actual covers and pages you can turn. I love the smell of books both new and old. I love the way books look on a bookcase...its much more appealing to kids and they are more likely to pick one up on a whim to read or look at. But there are some great FREE eBooks and Audio Books available so we use them too and I load up anytime I see some good ones for FREE.

Now we do not own a Kindle...we did win one but I sold it so we could buy a tablet for the kids which had more capabilities including a Kindle App. So we read our eBooks either on the tablet, computer or my cell phone. So if you don't own an Kindle don't worry there are loads of FREE ways to still read the eBooks via the available Kindle Apps. So this week I am sharing places you can get eBooks and Audio books for FREE! Some of these links are going to be PDF format books which can easily be read your Kindle or just read on your computer, tablet or phone. Same goes for Audio Books. Most of these can be downloaded as MP3, Audible or iTune files.

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

FREE eBooks:
-Amazon Kindle - limited time offers most are FREE
-Free Homeschool Deals - Jamerrill rounds up some great Free books each week
-Heritage History - offers FREE eBooks you can read directly off their website. You can also sign up for their email list and receive 1 FREE eBook each month to download
-DigiLibraries - thousand of FREE eBooks and very easy to search
-Free Books Hub
-Book Lending - this website matches borrowers and lenders
-One Hundred Free Books - updated throughout the day each day they should change their name to hundreds of FREE books
-Many Books - great selection lots of oldy but goodies
-Pixel of Ink - each day they list FREE Kindle books available
-Open Library
-Hundred Zeros - updated catalog of FREE best-sellers on Amazon
-Free Booksy
-eReader IQ
-Project Gutenberg - over 40,000 eBooks and also Audio Books

-If you have an Amazon Prime membership remember you can borrow Kindle eBooks as part of your membership
-Check with your local library many times you can borrow FREE Kindle eBooks by using your library card

Tip: Make sure you grab FREE Kindle eBooks as soon as you see them because prices often change and it's difficult to tell how long the book will remain FREE. When downloading a FREE Kindle book on Amazon verify that the book is still FREE by making sure the price is $0.00. If it lists a price or says "read for free" or has a price for prime members the book is NOT FREE anymore.

FREE audio books:
-Open Culture - 450 Free Audio Books - like Aesops Fables, Wizard of Oz, etc
-Books Should Be Free - eBooks and Audio books for some great classics
-Get LibriVox for your computer or phone then browse all the FREE Audio Books available
-Free Classic Audio Books
-Learn Out Loud Kids
-Storynory - lots of great kids books
-Audio Books For Free - 15 pages of Audio Books for kids

I hope you find these resources useful. If you ever have any questions feel free to leave me a comment or email me. Also be sure to follow my FB page where I post FreeBEEs daily.

Link up: FreeBEE Fridays with Kathy's Cluttered Mind and Gricefully Homeschooling

Remember when it comes to FREE resources the internet and a good search engine are your best friend.


*Disclaimer - Many of the links found on my side bars and in my blog posts are affiliate links. Please note that prices indicated in the post are subject to change. As a result, I might get paid money and I will most likely spend the money on homeschool supplies.

Linking up with 3 Boys and a Dog

FreeBEE Fridays - FREE LEGO Learning Resources

Jen, from Gricefully Homeschooling, and I team up, every Friday, to bring you a list of freebees...on both of our blogs.

PLUS...with the added bonus of this being a weekly link up...where you can showcase your freebies, things you've found online, and also, things you've received in the mail, totally FREE in the last week...or so. 

FreeBEEs:

If you have homeschool FreeBEEs to share
please link up at the bottom of this post!
You can copy the button from my right side bar.

Internet FreeBEEs:
Sorry this is up later than usual I lost track of time this week. We have been having a lot of fun with LEGOS recently. Rowyn is very tactile and I have had to get creative with the way I teach him things. So thanks to online friends and Pinterest I have started using Legos more throughout our homeschool days. We have used them to build structures like the Great Pyramid and Sphinx, we have used them as counting aids and we have even used them to play games. Now the only thing I need to do is buy MORE LEGOs...if you know where I can get a really good deal please post a comment below.

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

LEGO RESOURCES:
-FREE LEGO Educators Magazines and Guides (great for a homeschool group). There are also some FREE downloadable worksheets as well
-FREE LEGO Club Magazine subscription
-LEGO City Downloads
-LEGO Community educational lesson plans
-LEGO lapbook from Walking by the Way
-Learning with LEGOS lots of good ideas
-Lots of LEGO lapbooks from Homeschool Share
-Great idea for Earthquake unit study
-LEGO math ideas
-100 LEGOS printable this could be used for many different things
-Language Arts with LEGOS - some really great ideas
-LEGO lesson plans for math/science
-Geography with LEGOs - building country flags
-Geography with LEGOs - building landmarks
-Build A,B,Cs with LEGOs
-There are lots of great LEGO ideas on Kids Activities Blog like this LEGO puzzle book, LEGO rainbow, LEGO lapbook and LEGO book
-LEGO math and more
-LEGO Geometry
-LEGO measuring
-LEGO math activities pdf
-Reading with LEGOs - I love this idea so much
-LEGO unit study ideas
-There are lots of great LEGO lesson plans at Edventures (this is a paid site but there is a FREE trial which will allow you to snag a few unit for FREE)
-FREE LEGO Club at Currclick (there is also an evening session offered)
-LEGO math printables
-LEGO animal mix up
-LEGO Quest a fun way for kids to share their projects with other kids
-LEGO Engineering lesson plans
-TONS of LEGO building manuals
-LEGO wordsearch
-LEGO/DUPLO water table
-LEGO story starters - these are not FREE but its a great idea and you can easily create something similar for FREE
-LEGO handwriting worksheet
-Printable LEGO worksheets
-LEGO picture prompts - great writing exercise then for added fun create the picture using LEGOS there are lots of FREE graphics on the LEGO websites listed above
-More writing prompts for kids who like LEGOs
-Another website with some great LEGO links I love the chemical reactions building idea

GAMES:
-LEGO StarWars website offering games, movies, custom builder and more
-LEGO.com website with lots of games (be sure to click on all the specialty LEGO products for more fun stuff)
-LEGO BINGO and other LEGO BINGO 
-LEGO memory game
-LEGO tower building board game
-LEGO Indiana Jones game - okay mommy must admit I enjoyed this one
-Build with Chrome - this looks like lots of fun

VIDEOS:
-Lots of LEGO videos at Cartoon Network
-LEGO club TV
-Browse through the BrickFilms movies there are some very educational ones
-LEGO history video

CRAFTS/ART:
-Blank LEGO person to decorate
-LEGO coloring pages and birthday party ideas
-LEGO stamping crafts - super cute ideas even for girls
-LEGO Christmas ornaments
-LEGO Play-Doh sculpting
-Lots of cute LEGO craft ideas
-LEGO coloring pages and more coloring pages

FOOD:
-LEGO snack and party ideas
-LEGO JELLO Jigglers
-LEGO cookies
-LEGO marshmallow pops and more birthday ideas
-LEGO gummy candy

FIELD TRIPS:
-Take a field trip to a local LEGOLAND or LEGOLAND Discovery Center both offer discounts for homeschool groups. Some even offer homeschool classes.

KINDLE E-BOOKS:

-Lessons from LEGOLAND (FREE for Prime)

-MiniVan Custom Instructions (FREE for Prime)

-London Bus Custom Instructions (FREE for Prime)

ANDROID APPS:

-LEGO Minifig Collector
-LEGO App4 - Rowyn loves this game
-LEGO Duplo Zoo
-Unblock LEGO
-LEGO Instruction Guides
-LEGO Duplo Jams

I hope you find these resources useful. If you ever have any questions feel free to leave me a comment or email me. Also be sure to follow my FB page where I post FreeBEEs daily.

Link up: FreeBEE Fridays with Kathy's Cluttered Mind and Gricefully Homeschooling

Remember when it comes to FREE resources the internet and a good search engine are your best friend.


*Disclaimer - Many of the links found on my side bars and in my blog posts are affiliate links. Please note that prices indicated in the post are subject to change. As a result, I might get paid money and I will most likely spend the money on homeschool supplies.

Linking up with 3 Boys and a Dog