Pumpkin Science activities for Kids roundup

The Perfectly Pumpkin contest hosted by  B-inspired Mamas, Preschool Powol Packets and Gift of Curiosity and us!
There were so many amazing pumpkin themed activities, recipes and crafts! It must have been a tough decision for our guest judges to pick a winner for their categories.

The Science nerd fan in me was drawn to these fun science themed Pumpkin activies that were entered.

Life with Moore Babies played with states of matter and created some very cute decorations with their Melted Crayon Pumpkins.
They also showed us how they demonstrated the pumpkin lifecycle by growing pumpkins in a pumpkin!

Little Bins for Little hands made a Pumpkin-cano which may just be the coolest baking soda and vinegar experiment I have ever seen!

A lil Scientist at Stir the wonder had a great time with an exploration of Pumpkin guts.

The Preschool toolbox shared a couple of great Pumpkin life cycle printables and the fun they had working with them.

Frogs and Snails and Puppy dogs tails made up a mixture of Pumpkin spice scented 'Clean Mud'!

These were just a small sample of the amazing entries the contest had! Thanks to everyone who entered! To see the winners head over to the announcement at B -inspired Mama.

The Shadow of Atlantis: Book Review and Giveaway

I received an electronic copy of this title in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This post also contains affiliate links.

A brand kids new series featuring time travel and adventure...and Max the cat

Joe and Jemima Lancelots' lives are turned upside down when their parents disappear without a trace. They are sent to live with their uncle, an Archeology professor. Fortunately the ten year old twins discover an ancient book that appears to have been their father’s. The book holds many secrets and the first is discovered when they are transported, back in time, to the lost city of Atlantis. Joining the Twins on this epic journey is their friend Charlie and their giant Tokinese Cat, Max.

Once they are in Atlantis, they discover how to use the book to communicate with their new friends and are surprised to find that Max can talk! Trouble is coming to the people of Atlantis and they need the travelers help. But how can the children protect the city and return to their own world? These questions (and more) are answered in the first title in a new series by Wendy Leighton Porter.

Our thoughts...

This is the kind of book I loved to read as a child- full of dusty attics and ancient mystery. Ms. Leighton Porter does an excellent job of keeping the pace of the adventure urgent but too scary or stressful for her young readers. The characters are easy to identify with. The siblings banter with each other and are curious, fun loving 10 year olds. Parents and Kids will appreciate the humor that comes from Max the talking Cat. There are references to well known mythological stories and includes information about the ancient Greeks and the possible location of the Island of Atlantis. I generally read books myself before introducing them to my kids. For this reason I have just begun to read this book aloud with our older daughter. As a Cat lover and mythology fan, She is hooked.

A great deal...

 I imagine we will be reading more of the series in the near future because I just purchased the next 5 books in the series thanks to the great deal going on at Amazon right now.
All 6 books in the series (The Shadow of Atlantis (Shadows from the Past) ,The Shadow of the Minotaur , The Shadow of the Trojan Horse ,The Shadow of the Pyramid , The Shadow of the Volcano ,and The Shadow of Camelot ) for only 99 cents each (e-book format). This offer ends Oct 28, 2013.

An awesome giveaway...
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