This is a joint giveaway with Hobo Mama Reviews and Natural Parents Network. You may enter at one site only. Please find the section marked "Win it!" for the mandatory main entry and optional bonus entries.
WILL TRAVEL special event: I am featuring a few special travel items for review and giveaway that I was able to use on my trip with my three-year-old son and eight-year-old niece this summer. If you win, you'll have your items in time for December holiday travel or Christmas gifts!
Grow Smart Games is offering my readers a giveaway of winner's choice of either a set of My Pocket Games or an I Spy Sensory Stick! Grow Smart Games is a wonderful Etsy shop that exclusively features these two fun and entertaining, hand-crafted toys. The games promote learning, help children strengthen skills, and provide opportunities for interacting with others. Grow Smart Games believes that simple, old-fashioned games are still the best!
If you choose the I SPY SENSORY STICK (picture below), you'll receive a fun toy made of approximately 9" of clear heavy tubing, sealed at the ends and filled with Polybead pellets and 20 hidden items. As your child turns and shakes the tube, different hidden items emerge from between the pellets. A laminated list of hidden items is attached by ribbon. The I Spy Sensory Stick is recommended particularly for younger children and toddlers though can be enjoyed by children of all ages.
If you choose the MY POCKET GAMES, you'll get a pack of six laminated cards attached to a ring, along with a secured mini dry-erase marker to use that easily wipes off each page. Each card
has a simple and fun game on one side, instructions on the opposite:- Hangman — guess the other player's word before the hangman is complete
- The Alphabet Game — check off items you spy that start with each letter
- Tic Tac Toe — three familiar boards for Xs and Os
- Pipes — try not to run into each other as you draw lines
- Dots and Boxes — compete to see how many boxes contain your initial
- Make Your Own Game — a blank page to encourage extra creativity
The My Pocket Games is recommended for older children who can enjoy the games and was a huge hit with my eight-year-old niece, although even a three-year-old will love scribbling on the pages, as I found out! You might be able to direct a version of The Alphabet Game with a younger child as well.We were able to test out both of these items in extreme conditions: namely, a beach vacation where it rained pretty much the whole week. Mikko used the I Spy Sensory Stick on the airplane, and both he and my niece used it in the cottage where we were marooned. In a restaurant with a looong wait for service, my niece and I kept each other entertained with rounds of My Pocket Games, and since then I've kept it handy for Mikko to draw on at will. He gets a kick out of having a "book" to write all over. Either of these toys would be great for keeping kids happily entertained during travel, a stint in a waiting room, restaurant outings, public transportation, or visits to relatives who would like something quiet and gentle to do with kids, such as at Grandma's house. (At least, such is the case with Mikko's grandmas.)
My take on the I Spy Sensory Stick
My niece helped Mikko find the items in the I Spy Sensory Stick. I appreciated that the stick was an unusual shape for an I Spy game, which lent a fun new aspect. It's the right size and shape for a child's chubby fingers to hold. The creator of the sticks uses items that are easily recognizable by kids including seashells, balls, animals, and shapes. Kids can find the items in random order or make the fun more challenging by trying to find the items in the order listed on the attached card.
You can give your kids extra challenges by removing the laminated card and asking them to find certain items listed, or make it even tougher by encouraging them to seek out a triangle,
something that's orange, or something that starts with the letter C. "The I Spy Sensory Stick provides opportunities to practice fine motor skills, word recognition, auditory processing, reading and building attention span. The sounds created as children shake, twist, and turn the tube are fun and engaging."
The only problem I had with our stick was sometimes the items inside got "stuck" a particular way, such as face-down, and I wasn't able to easily shake them back upright. I wonder if ours would have been a little easier with fewer beads, in that case, so that the items could move more freely. It didn't seem to bother the kids, though!
I really like the bright and bold objects that are hidden within. They're easy enough for even young children to identify. And the sound the stick makes as you shake it around is soothing. Games like this build attention span and observational skills, and I'm all over that.
My take on the My Pocket Games
Mikko and my niece stay happy at the restaurant where no one wanted to bring our food.
My niece schools me in a game of Dots and Boxes.
I really enjoyed the My Pocket Games and think they'd be a great resource to slip into a purse, tote bag, or, well, pocket! The games are fun ones my mom always used to bust out on a napkin when we were bored waiting somewhere, so to have them pre-printed and laminated is such a convenience — plus, you don't have to remember the rules, because they're printed right there!
The marker is attached to the ring by its cap, so you don't have to remember to bring a pen, and we had no problems wiping the marks off after finishing a game.
I think elementary-age children through adults could be satisfactorily amused by My Pocket Games throughout a nice long wait!
BUY IT!
You can buy My Pocket Games or I Spy Sensory Sticks online from the Grow Smart Games Etsy shop.
My Pocket Games come in different colors and sell for $5.50 for one, or $10 for two. They would be a great little present to slip into a stocking or as a bonus inside a larger package. Shipping is $1.75 for one to US or Canada or $0.50 with an additional item.
An I Spy Sensory Stick costs $8. Shipping is $3 for one to US or $3.25 to Canada or $1.25 to either with an additional item. An I Spy Sensory Stick would also be a fun stocking surprise!
WIN IT!
For your own chance to win either a My Pocket Games or an I Spy Sensory Stick from Grow Smart Games,
enter in the comments below! Contest is open to U.S. and Canada.MAIN ENTRY: Visit the Grow Smart Games shop on Etsy and tell me whether you'll pick the My Pocket Games or I Spy Sensory Stick if you win!
Leave an email address in at least one of your comments if it's not clearly visible on your profile or linked web page so I can contact you if you win. (You can write it like this to foil spambots: mail {at} hobomama {dot} com or similar.)
This is a joint giveaway with Hobo Mama Reviews and Natural Parents Network, a new site co-founded by Lauren of Hobo Mama & Dionna of Code Name: Mama and intending to bring together those interested in attachment parenting and a natural lifestyle. You may enter at one site only, and we'll be recording IP addresses to ensure that there are no duplicate entries. That said, please do check out and enjoy both sites!
BONUS ENTRIES, to increase your chance of winning (leave a separate comment for each so I can count them all):
- Heart the Grow Smart Games shop on Etsy and leave me your Etsy user name in the comment.
- Heart your favorite Grow Smart Games product on Etsy and leave me your Etsy user name in the comment.
- Let me know who will use your fabulous prize if you win.
- Follow www.HoboMamaReviews.com publicly through Google Friend Connect, or subscribe to the Hobo Mama Reviews RSS feed in a reader or by email (1 entry for each).
- Follow www.HoboMama.com through Google Friend Connect, or subscribe to the Hobo Mama RSS feed in a reader or by email (1 entry for each).
- Subscribe to Natural Parents Network in a reader or by email.
- Follow @Hobo_Mama on Twitter and leave your Twitter name in the comment.
- Follow @NatParNet on Twitter and leave your Twitter name in the comment.
- Tweet about this giveaway (up to 5 times total, at least 24 hours apart). You can use the retweet button at the top of the post or tweet this text: Enter to #win your choice of fun My Pocket Games or I Spy Sensory Stick via @Hobo_Mama & @NatParNet! http://bit.ly/cPEP89 {12.7, US/Can}
- Like Hobo Mama on Facebook.
- Like Natural Parents Network on Facebook.
- Enter another of my current giveaways or the giveaways on Natural Parents Network (1 extra entry per giveaway — check back for more, because they are coming every weekend).
- Put my Hobo Mama button on your website or add http://www.HoboMama.com to your text blogroll for 2 extra entries each. The HTML code for the button is in the sidebar. Leave your site URL in the comment.
- Put the Natural Parents Network badge on your website or add http://NaturalParentsNetwork.com to your text blogroll for 2 extra entries each. The HTML code for the badge is on the front page of NaturalParentsNetwork.com. Leave your site URL in the comment.
RULES:
- Contest open to United States and Canadian mailing addresses only.
- Contestants may enter at either Hobo Mama Reviews or Natural Parents Network but not both. Entries will be combined for the drawing of a single winner.
- Leave each entry as a separate comment so I can count them all.
- For actions like following and subscribing, if you already follow or subscribe, just let me know in your comment.
- For tasks that garner you multiple entries, you can copy and paste the comment with a #1, #2, etc.
- You don't have to do any of the bonus entries, but you do have to complete the first mandatory one.
- I will pick the winner through Random.org after the contest closes and send an email notification. Leave an email address in your comment if it's not clearly visible on your profile or linked web page so I can contact you if you win. If I can't reach a winner or don't hear back within a couple days, I'll draw a new name.
- Any questions, let me know: mail {at} HoboMama.com
Contest closes December 7 at 11:59 p.m. PST.
Disclosure: Grow Smart Games sent me a
My Pocket Games and I Spy Sensory Stick for review.
I try to seek out only products I think you would find
relevant and useful to your life as a natural parent.
If I don't like a product, I won't be recommending it to you.
That's how I roll. See my full disclosure policy here.
My Pocket Games and I Spy Sensory Stick for review.
I try to seek out only products I think you would find
relevant and useful to your life as a natural parent.
If I don't like a product, I won't be recommending it to you.
That's how I roll. See my full disclosure policy here.
Posts
187 comments:
I would choose the sensory stick! It would be perfect for times like lines at the DMV and airports!
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How cute! I would love the My Pocket Games for my family. Thanks!
julidette {at} hotmail {dot} com
i like HM on FB.
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I would choose the my pocket games
shopannies@Yahoo.com
heart grow smart games on etsy
shopannies@Yahoo.com
I Spy Sensory Stick
Shop added to favorites
Item added to favorites
my 10 yr old son
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get emails
I'd pick the my pocket games
I hearted Grow Smart Games on Etsy
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I'd choose an sensory stick. Great stuff!
meltay at comcast.net
I love both but I guess I'd go for the Pocket Games
Twitter follower @imaginationsoup
:)
hearted on Etsy - I'm meltay.
like the sensory stick :)
good ideas!
thanks
I would choose the I-spy Stick
danellejohns at gmail dot com
I hearted on Etsy-danellejohns
danellejohns at gmail dot com
I hearted the I Spy Sensory Stick with Red endcaps-danellejohns
danellejohns at gmail dot com
I would be giving it to my baby boy for Christmas. And again I am sure that his brothers and sister will play with it too.
danellejohns at gmail dot com
I follow you publicly via GFC-DanelleJohnson
danellejohns at gmail dot com
I follow you publicly via GFC-DanelleJohnson
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I follow via feed GoogleReader
and comment 35 was for HoboMama
danellejohns at gmail dot com
I am an email subscriber danellejohns at gmail dot com
I am an email subscriber to HoboMama
danellejohns at gmail dot com
I follow HoboMama via feed GoogleReader
danellejohns at gmail dot com
I am an email subscriber of Nat Parent
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I follow/like you on Twitter-DanelleJohns(Danelle)
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I follow/like NatPar on Twitter-DanelleJohns(Danelle)
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I follow/like Nat Par on FB-DanelleJohns
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I would totally love to have the I Spy Sensory Stick (not the holiday themed one)!
I already like HM & NPN on FB. I am also subscribed to HM. I probably do other things on the list, but there you have it. Plus you have ways to contact me already. :-)
I don't know if you can see the pic well enough, but check out Learn With Nemo [With Wondertube] - my brother got this book for my daughter. It has paper pages (so she can't be left alone with the book), but it has a tube-shaped I Spy style tube at the top with items that relate to the story. You can spin it attached to the book or you can pop it off the book for a separate toy. Sasha LOVES it! We do too!
I would pick the sensory stick. I've got 3 toddlers to get stocking stuffers for as well as my own babe so I think I would like to get a few of these as gifts for friends even if I don't win.
I would pick My Pocket Games. What a cool thing to bring on a trip!
I would like to win the MyPocket games...for long car rides for my two year old. LOL!
piano4praise at gmail dot com
i would pick the I Spy Sensory Stick b/c we love to play I Spy. (mavans@gmail.com)
i would like the my pocket games
mverno@roadrunner.com
i'd chose the i spy sensory stick :)
tessyfishburn@hotmail.com
the stick for my son
I'd pick the I Spy Sensory Stick. It would be perfect at the Doctors office or at restaurants.
appetizerforacraftymind(at)yahoo(dot)com
My daughter would play it :)
appetizerforacraftymind(at)yahoo(dot)com
I'm now following you with google friend connect
appetizerforacraftymind(at)yahoo(dot)com
I'm following NatParNet on twitter @buttonlove
appetizerforacraftymind(at)yahoo(dot)com
I'm following you on twitter @buttonlove
appetizerforacraftymind(at)yahoo(dot)com
I entered your Glitterful Felt Stories story + travel board giveaway
appetizerforacraftymind(at)yahoo(dot)com
I entered your Giggle Junction I Spy Bag giveaway
appetizerforacraftymind(at)yahoo(dot)com
I would choose the My pocket Games
pinkveganmiso(at)yahoo(dot)com
Sensory Stick!
I think they both look fun! I am torn! In fact, just changed my mind and wrote down something else! Sensory stick for us!
ok this is a tough decision - i will probably pick my pocket games
melissa.barnes76 at yahoo dot com
follow hobomamareviews on gfc
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entered felt stories
melissa.barnes76 at yahoo dot com
I'd luv the MY POCKET GAMES:)
jmatek AT wi DOT rr DOT com
Heart grow smart games on EtsY:) jmatek
jmatek AT wi DOT rr DOT com
follow u thru GFC
jmatek AT wi DOT rr DOT com
i would choose the I Spy Sensory Stick-my boys LOVE I Spy!
princessjen_7@hotmail.com
I would choose the My Pocket game!
I would use the pocket games when we are out at a restaurant. Great idea to keep the little one busy!
Following on Twitter as Craftsbykeri
I'd pick the My Pocket Games - Red - great backseat game for siblings
I'd let my little one and my niece play with it
i would choose the stick for my toddler.
shenais
divertida at fastmail dot fm
gfc follow
shenais
divertida at fastmail dot fm
both my kids would use it.
shenais
divertida at fastmail dot fm
twitter follow @mamipdx
shenais
divertida at fastmail dot fm
Tough question as I love both! I think if I need to make a decision, I will take the sensory stick:)
I would choose one of the my pocket games, my 8 year old and 3 year old could both enjoy it.
thanks,
Heather
herent@comcast.net
pickledpandasATgmailDOTcom
Sensory stick, most definitely!
pickledpandasATgmailDOTcom
I hearted her shop on etsy (my username is dierdrelefae)
pickledpandasATgmailDOTcom
my sons would use it!
I'd choose the I Spy Stick. I really like the games but they are still a little too advanced for my girls. rebolsen at gmail dot com
I hearted the Sensory Sticks as Charming Violet. rebolsen at gmail dot com
I hearted Grow Smart Games as Charming Violet. rebolsen at gmail dot com
My daughter 3 year old daughter will use this.
I would select the sensory stick! kimbarsness(at)yahoo(dot)com
Love the pocket games!!! trishbazin(@)yahoo.com
I would love to have this for my two daughters I think that it would be a lifesaver while waiting at drs.
trishbazin(at)yahoo.com
ms(dot)verymarried(at)gmail(dot)com
I would def pick the my pocket games!
ms(dot)verymarried(at)gmail(dot)com
this would go to my little brothers!
ms(dot)verymarried(at)gmail(dot)com
i favorited! (username: pixyfairy)
My 16-month-old daughter would be entertained by the I Spy Stick for a while. I love the cards, but don't want to wait until she's old enough to enjoy them! bluemelon1@yahoo.com
Following Hobo Mama Reviews on Google Friend Connect
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Entered to win Giggle Junction I Spy Bag
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I would choose the sensory stick.
Thanks!
angiedkelly at gmail dot com
Hearted their shop on etsy under dunkel99
Hearted the Christmas sensory stick on etsy under dunkel99
My two daughters (6 and 1) will be clamoring over this!
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I would choose the i spy stick. What a great product. Thanks for sharing.
havenera at gmail dot com
I would definitely pick the i spy game.
boswife @ gmail . com
I would select the pocket games options for sure, my daughter would love those!
I hearted them on etsy, my etsy username is twopeasinapie
my email is jinxies2010 at yahoo.com
This fabulous prize will be used by my 10 year old daughter who has Asperger's.
I now follow you in networked blogs! my facebook account is under my real name erica sonnier
I now follow you on twitter from @twopeasinapie
I now follow natparnet on twitter from @twopeasinapie
I would choose the sensory stick!
heart grow smart games shop on etsy
username: guihua
jessicatang90@gmail.com
my favourite item on etsy shop
http://www.etsy.com/listing/61348564/christmas-i-spy-sensory-stick-great
username: guihua
jessicatang90@gmail.com
would give my prize to my kids if i win!
jessicatang90@gmail.com
followed hobo mama reviews on GFC - Jessica
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I would choose the I Spy stick!
My 2.5 year old daughter would love the I Spy stick. She would be the one using it until her little sister is older.
I would pick the sensory stick for my toddler classroom. It would be a great activity for when the children first arrive in the morning!
Zoe0825@verizon.net
I'd pick the I Spy Sensory Stick.
helpersarah2009@gmail.com
I would get the My Pocket Games
veniceangel@hotmail.com
My son would use this if I won!
veniceangel@hotmail.com
I Follow @NatParNet on Twitter under childrensnook
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I would choose the I Spy Sensory Stick! I have a 2 year old that would love to point things out!
I would get the I Spy Sensory Stick. My 2 year old loves the I Spy books.
bixbyjulie at hotmail dot come
I would love the I Spy Stick. It's such a neat idea.
nfocon@hotmail.com
I would totally love an I Spy stick for my little guy!
madebymelissa at gmail dot com
http://madebymelissa.etsy.com
Added GrowSmartGames to my favorites
madebymelissa at gmail got com
http://madebymelissa.etsy.com
Hearted the Christmas I Spy Stick
http://www.etsy.com/listing/61348564/christmas-i-spy-sensory-stick-great
madebymelissa at gmail dot com
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I would choose the My Pocket Games.
These would be for my son
I would choose the take along games. They look fun.
we love the i spy sensory stick!
michelle r.
heinzmom at hotmail dot com
I'd choose the My Pocket Games!
Thanks
The My Pocket Games would be for my nephew!
Thanks for the giveaway!
I would choose the Christmas I Spy Sensory Stick if I won.
khmorgan_00 [at] yahoo [dot] com
I would choose My Pocket Games for my nephews! Thanks for the giveaway!
Heather
liveinbohemia@gmail.com
i would choose the i spy sensory stick if it won
susansmoaks at gmail dot com
I'd pick a I Spy Sensory Stick for my son. tylerpants(at)gmail.com
I'm a GFC follower of Hobo Mama. tylerpants(at)gmail.com
Likes Hobo Mama on Facebook (Lisa L). tylerpants(at)gmail.com
Likes Natural Parents Network on Facebook (Lisa L). tylerpants(at)gmail.com
I will definitely pick the I Spy Sensory Stick - I've got a toddler who loves that kind of thing.
ohmiss14 at yahoo dot com
I <3 Grow Smart Games on Etsy
ohmiss14 at yahoo dot com
I <3 the Christmas Sensory Stick at Grow Smart Games on Etsy
ohmiss14 at yahoo dot com
My 2 y.o. son will be the recipient, but I wouldn't put it past his 12 y.o. brother and 15 y.o. stepbrother to play with it too!
ohmiss14 at yahoo dot com
I would choose the sensory stick. It would be great for car rides. vidomich(at)yahoo(dot)com
I would choose the I Spy Sensory Stick.
I hearted Grow Smart Games shop on Etsy, user name gkran.
I hearted the Christmas I Spy Sensory Stick - great Stocking Stuffer, user name gkran.
It would be for my twins :)
I follow Hobo Mama GFC.
I'm a Hobo Mama email subscriber.
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