Letter, Number, and Winter FlipBoard Learning Sets: A Review and Giveaway

I hope you all are enjoying the Christmas product reviews. We have some fun activities to list in a few days but I want to make sure I'm able to feature all the wonderful companies who have sponsored my Christmas review and giveaways first. I'm especially excited when I'm able to feature SAHM who handcraft items for sell, like today's seller.

I'm very excited to have the opportunity to review this etsy seller for the first time ever, anywhere on the internet! TootsieBear has fantastic learning products!

I was given the opportunity to review a few of her flipboard learning sets. These sets help to develop visual discrimination and memory. Each game is cut and laminated to fit her flipboards by her own two hands. Each game consists of 3 sets of laminated cards that you mix up and attach to the flipboard. The children flip through to match letters, beginning sounds, or numbers. I haven't seen anything like this handmade in any of the other Etsy stores or elsewhere online and believe it is a fantastic idea!

The first set I had the opportunity to review was the Number Flipboard game. This game helps to promote number recognition and math concepts. This set includes numbers 1-20 and flipboard with rings. You mix up each set and attach to flipboard and children count the dots and find the matching numeral and number word. Parents who follow the Glen Doman method will be very familiar with using dots to teach math concepts and I imagine will be very excited to find this product. I don't use the Doman program with my daughter as much as I did when she was younger but I can tell you it is very hard to find products that meet the Glenn Doman "Teach Your Baby Math" criteria. However, this product isn't just for Glenn Doman curriculum parents , in fact it isn't even designed for the Doman method, and can be used by anyone! I love the idea of objects to count, the numeral, and word of the number all in one set. This is a fantastic product! This item sells for $16.00 and is well worth it!

The next set for review is the Winter game flipboard set. This set includes three sets of 15 Winter pictures and flipboard with rings. This is a wonderful product helping children to learn how to match. It inspires great conversation about seasons and items appropriate to the winter months. This is my daughter's favorite of the set because it is very appropriate for her toddler age. She has sets for all of the seasons. Now this would make a great and unique Christmas gift for your child or other little ones on your Christmas list! This Winter set sells for $15.00

The next set for review is the alphabet picture flipboard game. This set includes 26 pictures, each letter of the alphabet in upper and lower case and flipboard with rings. The cards are all laminated for you. Children determine the beginning sound of the picture and find the corresponding capital and lower case letter. This is a really fun way to teach your child about their letters and sounds. This retails for $17.00

The owner was kind enough to answer a few interview questions so that we can all get to know her better...

Q: Can you tell us about yourself?I am the mother of two almost-grown children, a son in college and a 17 year old daughter. I have been married for 20 years. Being the oldest of a total of 5 girls and 3 boys, I have always cared for children. Eventually I decided it would be my life's work and I started a preschool and child care business in my home.

Q: What were you doing before deciding to start your own business?I actually already owned my child care business when I started Tootsie's Tidbits. I have been a preschool teacher and child care provider in my home for over 11 years.

Q: How long have you been in business?Tootsie's Tidbits is a new business for me. I've had these ideas swimming around in my head for so long and now that my own children are older I had a little extra time to develop them beyond using them in my own child care. My very first 'showing' of my products was just 6 months ago and I started selling in my etsy shop shortly after.

Q:Do you find that more and more parents of today are switching to natural toys (over the plastic ones)? I am noticing a big trend in handmade, natural toys being sought out. Parents and care givers are coming back to the kinds of things they had as children and natural toys bring back memories for them. Plus, it is great to see how many parents are choosing open ended toys rather than items with tons of bells and whistles (sometimes literally!)

Q: What do you think makes your store unique?What makes my store unique is that my childrens' items are kid tested, teacher approved! I make and sell only items that I use in my own child care first. Another unique feature of my store is that I also make organizational items for teachers and child care providers of the birth to kindergarten set. I co-present a workshop on organization in child care and these items have come directly from the workshop.

Q:If you would like to add anything else about your business that would be great! I truly believe that learning should be hands on fun, and my learning games adhere to that motto. I have lots of ideas in the works and plan to add new items to my shop regularly! Probably during nap time!

She offers other products that I'm very excited about such as...

*Color Matching Games: Game includes 5 wooden hand shapes painted with non-toxic paint, 25 coordinating painted clothespins and plastic storage box. Mix up clothespins and children clip them one at a time to the matching shape. Great for fine motor development! Can also use shapes and clothespins for counting. Line up hands and count by 5's. Add and subtract clothespins. Use clothespins for patterning. The possibilities are endless! This sells for $7! She has several varieties of the color matching games.

Now, for some great news! Tootsie's Tidbits is sponsoring a giveaway for my wonderful readers. The giveaway will be for the Alphabet and Number flipboards to one lucky reader. To enter, start by visiting her etsy store at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5497697.

Look around her store and then come back her and post your favorite item in her store and why you'd like to win it. For example, "The alphabet flipboard is my favorite because I'm currently teaching the alphabet to my little one".

Official Rules: IF YOU DO NOT LIST YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS ,IT ISN'T ON YOUR BLOG, AND THERE IS NO WAY TO LEAVE COMMENTS ON YOUR BLOG I HAVE NO WAY OF CONTACTING YOU. If I don't hear from you within a week, another name will be drawn and you forfeit your prize.This contest is open only to those with a United States Shipping Address .This giveaway begins 12/05/2008 and ends 12/12/2008 11:59 PM Central Standard Time.The name will be chosen by Randomizer.org.

I always love hearing about how my reviews lead these wonderful stores to more sales. I'd love to hear posts letting me know you decided to purchase some items!
**I'm not responsible for item not arriving; Make sure all shipping info is correct, please.