Saturday, August 20, 2011

Back to School - Melissa and Doug Magnetic Calendar Giveaway

As we wind down our last days of summer vacation, I find myself both excited and sad.  I am excited that our kids are headed back to school soon, and this means we will finally be back in daily routines again.  For our kids it also means less time vegging in front of the tv and video games, and getting those rusty brains working once again!  But I am also sad because I really cherish having the kids home and all the time spent together and the fun that we have during the summer months.

By now you have back to school supplies on the brain and are either all set, or just getting started.  If you have a child going to preschool for the first time, it can be a time of great anticipation, and fear as well.  The same goes for kindergarten, especially for a child that has not been separated from their parent previously.  Those kindergarten jitters can be quite overwhelming!  If you have not heard about the book "The Kissing Hand" then I definitely recommend it.  It helped me with my little ones when they were in preschool.  The story is about a little raccoon who is about to start school. He tells his mother about his fears (the fears that children have when they are about to start school).  His mother comes up with an idea that will help her little raccoon remember that she loves him and is thinking of him, even when she isn't there with him. It is a heartwarming and special story to share with your child.

For an older child, never underestimate the value of little love notes you can leave in their lunch box or back pack.  They can be simple words like "I love you" or words of encouragement, like "Good luck on your test, I know you can do it, ". Your child is sure to cherish these little notes and know they are loved.

Getting organized for school can be pretty chaotic, especially in a household with 4 children like ours.  Create lists that you can post for the children that will help with their morning routine.  Something as simple as a checklist that can hang in their bedroom with their morning activities such as 1. Wash face & brush teeth 2. Get dressed 3. Backpack etc...you get the idea!

Even a checklist for yourself will do wonders! It can get pretty crazy on school mornings and making a list of things you need to do to get the kiddies out the door on time and with minimal stress will take the guesswork and thinking out of your morning routine and help it go smoother. Pack lunches and put them in the fridge the night before, have backpacks packed and ready by the door and have the kids lay their clothes out right down to their socks and shoes. 

Finally, help stay organized by utilizing a calendar to keep all their activities and homework assignments due dates in one place! If you have not seen our Melissa and Doug Magnetic Calendar, it is worth checking out.  The great thing about this calendar is that it is undated! So you use it over and over again - just use the magnets to post the days, months and year.  Use the included magnets to keep track of important events and holidays.  The bottom have is a dry erase board and a place to store all the magnets.

We want to help you stay organized so we have decided to give one away to one lucky winner to start the school year off on the right track!

How to enter to win one Melissa & Doug Calendar (First one is mandatory - the rest are all optional for extra entries):

1. Please leave your first comment by telling us... What is your favorite Melissa and Doug Toy? We love Melissa & Doug and our list of favorites would be too long to list here!

2. You can choose to follow our blog.  Just leave us a comment and let us know you did.

3. Like BabyScholars.com on Facebook. Post what your favorite Melissa and Doug toy is there as well and leave a comment that you did for two extra entries! The benefit of becoming our fan on Facebook is that we post great tips, fun ideas as well as coupon codes and new product and sale alerts.

4. Follow @babyscholars on Twitter and tweet our giveaway. Let us know you did by leaving a comment with your tweet url for one extra entry.  You may tweet the following once a day:

RT @babyscholars: #Win a Melissa & Doug Magnetic Calendar http://bit.ly/opcKxJ #Giveaway

5. Subscribe to our newsletter for new product alerts and special promotions for e-mail subscribers.  Leave us a comment and let us know you did for one extra entry.

6. Blog about our giveaway and include a link back to the our blog and our store www.babyscholars.com for 3 extra entries!

Rules: Contest is open to US residents only. Giveaway will end August 30, 2011 at 10:00PM PST. Winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond and acknowledge their win. If no confirmation in that time frame a new winner will be chose and will have 48 hours to respond. Good luck!

21 comments:

Paula said...

I left a comment on babyscholars telling the toy I love.

Paula said...

I liked babyscholars on fb.

Paula said...

My favorite toy is hard to choose love all their toys...trunki is GREAT would love to win one. Love the play food sets.

Paula said...

I like you on fb.

Maria said...

Any puzzle that promotes imaginative play!

Coffeegrljp said...

My daughter loves the Melissa and Doug Nina Ballerina magnetic doll.

Kristen W. said...

My favorite toy is t bowling set, my kids LOVE it!

Kristen W. said...

I liked BabyScholars on FB and commented :)

michelle said...

I left a comment on facebook.

michelle said...

I liked you on fb.

michelle said...

I follow you on twitter.

michelle said...

I retweeted the message.

michelle said...

I commented on facebook.

michelle said...

I love the puzzles!

sheri street said...

I love the melissa and doug trunki! can b used as a toy you know

sheri street said...

I love all their toys but really like the trunki!

sheri street said...

i like babyscholars on facebook

sheri street said...

following babyscholars on twitter

sheri street said...

tweeted on twitter RT @babyscholars: #Win a Melissa & Doug Magnetic Calendar http://bit.ly/opcKxJ #Giveaway

sheri street said...

subscribed via email

Gloria said...

I think my son would love to have wooden railway set...he's very excited about trains :)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...