Frugal Living

The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

November 18, 2012 By Thaleia 21 Comments

The Ultimate Guide to Charlie

and the Chocolate Factory

Intro & Review:

My children are deprived. They are not allowed to watch Alice in Wonderland or Charlie in the Chocolate Factory (you know the creepy ones with Johnny Depp.) I have to say I am really disappointed in current media’s representation of these two classics since I grew up watching Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory! I really would love to share with my children some of the joys of my childhood.

Well, now I can with Jump Into a Book’s The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Wow, Audrey Press’ and Valarie Budayr’s Jump Into a Book concept is absolutely amazing! You will get to experience a book like no other! Yes, it is digital. Yes, it is media, but the great oldies but goodies are here to stay! This digital option allows for expanded learning before or after reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. (I just downloaded the audiobook from our local library!) I know they are going to be very excited to hear the book before we watch the video. After that we will be diving back into The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for even more fun!

Are you ready to become a Book Jumper? What is a Book Jumper you ask? Well, I am not able to describe quite like Valarie Budayr a.k.a “Magic Book Lady” so I’m just going to quote her:

“Book Jumping are stories that reawaken the passionate idea of living inside the pages of a book.” Each story is a gateway into a magical world where stories are not just read, but are also acted out through crafts, games, tutorials, and adventures.”-

How about you? Are you ready to Jump Into a Book? Join me as we take a wonderful journey into The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I am going to give you a peek inside while we explore what book jumping has to offer.

Here’s a small “taste” of the fun we had:

We chose to melt pretzels and dip them into chocolate. We used a slightly different idea than in the book, but still had lots of fun! The kids were begging to do more things with candy so we did. We did candy experiments using Wonka candy. (We will showcase that on Wacky Wednesday!)

They were very interested in learning more so that is why I got the audiobook from the library for us to enjoy so we didn’t spoil too much about the story before going further into The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I’ve sneaked a peak and was very impressed with all the ideas and how the book is organized. If you want to try a unit study with a literature base, then The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory would be a great place to start.

Want to see how the App works? Here’s a great introduction from The daily App Show:

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this review besides the free pdf copy that was given to us for review. All opinions are my own and are not affected by receiving free product. The links within this post may be affiliate links which would provide Something 2 Offer a small percentage of sales should you click on a link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.

Tot School: Simple Gifts {Decorated Business Card Magnets}

November 16, 2012 By Thaleia 10 Comments

Decorated Business Card Magnets

Want to have your tot make gifts for Christmas? How about a Simple Gift that any glue stick loving toddler will enjoy? Do you have extra scrapbook paper? How about decorative punches?

I’m sure you have business card magnets from fairs or festival cluttering up your fridge. We happen to have hundreds left over from an old business that need put to good use. What better use than something cute and cheerful fro Grandma’s fridge?

Lil’ Red loves glue sticks and I have to admit we DO NOT ALLOW him enough time to glue! Shame on me. I’m a craft loving and mess loving mom, so why not more gluing? I guess I forget that he is a “big” boy now and can handle glue sticks very well.

Some more Christmas and Advent ideas:

It's Overflowing

Frugal Friday: Old Socks and Muddy Boots

November 16, 2012 By Thaleia Leave a Comment

Do you have a bunch of old socks?

Do you have muddy boots?

Don’t want to part with your old socks? Well, I have just the things for you. If you have adventurous, messy kids like me who will find the mud on an outdoor nature adventure, then I have a great solution for you!

After rinsing the chore boots or water galoshes out, roll up your sleeves, and put on that old pair of socks. Now you can reach right into those boots and get the rest of the muck out without getting too messy yourself!

Here’s a few pictures of me cleaning out Eldest boots after a Nocturnal Wetland Hike!

Hope this is a frugal tip that will help you and your kids enjoy more muddy adventures!

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Big Red Barn Tutorial

November 11, 2012 By Thaleia 5 Comments

Big Red Barn Tutorial

Lil’ Red was obsessed with this book so much that we were reading it 2 or 3 times a day! I decided we needed a Big Red Barn that he could play with. I had been saving Huggies wipes containers and happen to have a red one! I looked at the book cover as my guide and got to crafting a homemade Big Rad Barn!

Here’s a quick tutorial on how to make a Big Red Barn:

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TOT SCHOOL: Tot Trays (the basics)

November 9, 2012 By Thaleia 5 Comments

What are Tot Trays?

Where Do You Find them?

I heard about Tot trays from Counting Coconuts and 1plus1plus1equals1 when Lil’ Red was still too young to use them or need them. (Boy, do we need them now! He is a smart little whipper-snapper.) We have been using them off and on.

Tot trays are activities placed on a tray for your children to do. Very similar to Montessori Work Trays, (cute video about 1 1/2 yr olds) but tailored to your child or a theme you want to explore with your child. If you have girls you won’t want to miss Playing House in Maryland‘s tot trays and if you have boys check out The Princess and the Tot’s tot trays.

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Frugal Living

The Ultimate Guide to Charlie

and the Chocolate Factory

Intro & Review:

Here’s a small “taste” of the fun we had:

Decorated Business Card Magnets

Do you have a bunch of old socks?

Do you have muddy boots?

Big Red Barn Tutorial

Here’s a quick tutorial on how to make a Big Red Barn:

What are Tot Trays?

Where Do You Find them?

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