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Day 2: 12 Days of Giving | HearthSong Toys

First:  A very big Congratulations to Jeni Coic Johannsmeier!  She was the winner of the Connectagons giveaway yesterday!

And on to today…

Today is the 2nd day of the 12 Days of Giving from HearthSong!

On the 2nd day of giving HearthSong gave to me …..My First Weather Station!!!

To enter, click here and comment on specified post the name of your favorite HearthSong product and tell us why its your favorite. You have until 11:59PM EST to enter. Only one entry per person. Winner to be announced tomorrow morning.  Good luck!

Day One: 12 Days of Giving | HearthSong Toys

Today is the first day of the 12 Days of Giving from HearthSong!

On the first day of giving HearthSong gave to me (yes sing along)…..FREE CONNECTAGONS!!!

To enter, click here and comment on specified post the name of the award that Connectagons won in 2009! (hint – answer can be found on our website). You have until 11:59PM EST to enter. Only one entry per person. Winner to be announced tomorrow morning. Good luck!

The 12 Days of Giving | HearthSong Toys

Just in time for the Holidays, Hearthsong is so excited to announce our latest Facebook giveaway,  The 12 Days of Giving.  The concept is simple; 12 Days, 12 Free Gifts!  The giveaway will begin on

November 29, 2010 and run through December 14, 2010

(Monday – Friday)

To join in the fun, come “Like” us on Facebook and then tune into the page on November 29th!  Good luck!!!

 

**Bloggers interested in promoting, please email facebook@hearthsong.com for details***

 

*The 12 Days of Giving begins on 11/29/10 and ends 12/14/10 (Monday through Friday). Winners will be chosen at random from each entry and announced each day for the previous day’s giveaway. Winners must be fans of the facebook page to be eligible. No purchase needed and does not increase your chance of winning. Item may not be exchanged for another item or cash value. Void where prohibited. © 2010, The Children’s Group.

HearthSong Blog Post Winner!

Our winner of the HearthSong Blog Post Contest is Amanda S. from Ohio! She has written a great review on the fun, uniqueness, and durability of HearthSong Toys. Check out her blog post below:

I am the Mother of 4 young boys. Finding toys that can withstand the abuse that 4 boys put upon them is hard to do. Boys are just rough on things. However, we have a Sand Digger as well as a Folding Trampoline from HearthSong. We have owned both of these products for a couple of months now and my boys, as well as the other 9 neighbor boys have all tested them out thoroughly. I am amazed at how much use these toys get as well as how well they have held up. There is nothing wrong with either of these toys even after months of being played with! Not only is it hard to find toys that can withstand 4 rough and tough boys, but it is hard to find toys that hold their interest for long. These toys are definitely on my list of things to recommend to others as well as purchase as gifts for nieces and nephews in the future!
Great job HearthSong! You have never disappointed us!
-Amanda S.

Do you have a story or review of your own? Leave us a comment!

Key Ingredients for Kids’ Scrapbooking

Are you looking for an activity for your kids when it’s too hot for them to go outside? Consider scrapbooking. It’s a great way to foster creativity and imagination while allowing your kids to create something that will remind them of their childhood forever. And best of all, there are no rules.

Now if the “no rules” thing scares you a little bit, consider purchasing a Pocketful of Memories Book instead. It still allows the creativity of a scrapbook but with a little more structure, and it’s sure to be a treasured keepsake.

But if you’re ready for your kids to dive right in to scrapbooking and start creating, then there are really only four essential ingredients that they need, the rest is up to them.

1. First they’ll need a blank scrapbook/memory book which can be purchased from your local craft store. They come in several different sizes and styles so pick whichever will suit their purposes best.
2. Next they’ll need some card stock, not construction paper. Card stock is much thicker, more durable, more colorful, and easier to work with than construction paper. I recommend HearthSong’s inexpensive Card Stock pack which comes in six different colors in the standard 8.5” x 11” size.
3. Now for the fun part…MARKERS! This is where your kids will really wow you. From writing funny captions next to family photos to creating beautiful designs which will transform a page, markers really personalize a scrapbook. And to make the page pop even more, HearthSong has packs of ten washable Glitter Glue Pens for that three-dimensional look.
4. Finally, the most basic of all ingredients, tape. I definitely recommend tape over glue when it comes to scrapbooks because it’s not as messy, and you will avoid the rippling effect that glue has on paper (though it’s not as noticeable on card stock). Tape can be purchased, well, pretty much anywhere.

Have the kids collect their “scraps,” whatever those may be: family photos, ticket stubs, old drawings, and they’re well on their way. The more they add, the more personal it becomes. Have them experiment with ribbon, stickers, patterned papers, anything!

Scrapbooking is a great, creative way to pass the time, and who knows, your kids might even get you addicted to it! If that ends up being the case, then never fear, there are a ton of resources out there which will help you find new and creative ways to preserve your memories. But always start out with the basics first! And if you have any tips of your own, please share them with us by leaving a comment.

-Katie D., marketing assistant

HearthSong Blog Post Contest!

Do you have a great review or story about a HearthSong product that you would like to share with us? We’re giving you the opportunity to do so, and a chance to win a $100 gift certificate! All you need to do is write a brief post about HearthSong or one of our products and submit it via our Facebook page. If your post is chosen we will feature it on our blog, and you will win a $100 gift certificate to spend on great HearthSong products! Click here for more information on how you can win.

Thank You June Bloggers!

As it nears the end of June, we would like to thank all of our blogger friends who offer great reviews and giveaways of HearthSong toys and games. The following bloggers are good friends of ours and have written some great reviews of our products. Even better though, they are offering some awesome giveaways which you still have time to enter! If you are a parent and enjoy HearthSong products then continue to take a look at these sites and others to stay updated on our products and chances to win free gifts:

WrestlingAddictedMommy.com: Gina is, you guessed it, a mom who is addicted to wrestling, and who also happens to write wonderful reviews of all sorts of products including our Travel Easel Set. Take a look at her blog and enter to win an easel set for one of your kids, hurry though, this contest ends June 30th!

DustinNikki.blogspot.com: Nicole is a mother of three from Ohio who loves to blog about her life and products that her family enjoys. Recently she wrote a great review of our Great Big Outdoor Playball, and is offering a giveaway which ends July 1st!

FamilyliciousReviews.Blogspot.com: Debra is a stay at home mom of two, and loves to offer great insight on products that you and your children will enjoy. Take a look at her review and giveaway of our Folding Trampoline and $50 HearthSong gift certificate which ends July 11th!

ThanksMailCarrier.com: Xenia is a great blogger and offers informative reviews on a wide range of products. Take a look at a recent review she did of our Cosmic Slide and consider getting one for your kids this summer!

Thanks again to all of our blogging moms who support HearthSong and our products. Continue to check in with their sites, along with our blog and Facebook page for more reviews and giveaways!

by Katie D., marketing assistant

Building Futures with Food

My mom is a great cook but a lot of times she doesn’t have enough time in the day to put together a delicious meal. So my little brother, in his constant state of hunger, tries to help her in the kitchen as much as he can. Unfortunately this sometimes leads to mistakes and messes which makes cooking that much more time-consuming for her.

But now with HearthSong’s Playful Chef Cooking Kit my brother can lend an extra pair of little hands to be a big help! This award-winning kit is packed full of nutritious recipes, a wide assortment of cooking utensils, mixing bowls, and even a baking pan to help those future chefs in your family too.

And even if your kids aren’t destined to be the next Top Chef or Food Network Star, we have something for whatever it is they’re aspiring to be. For the little builder we have Constructive Eating Utensils and Plate, a sure way to build imagination and clean plates! Or if your child would rather take to the skies than stay on the ground, AirFork One can give him or her plenty of flying practice. Finally, for those kids that are great at getting a laugh out of siblings and parents at the dinner table, our Food Face plate will let them hone their comedy chops even more. If I had had this plate when I was young I’d probably be well on my way to being the next Jay Leno! Hopefully I’d last longer than six months though…

For more products that will make dinner fun for you and your child visit our Fun with Food collection!

by Katie D., marketing assistant

HearthSong Celebrates Birthdays

This year, I am throwing Kate a surprise party for her birthday (hopefully, she doesn’t read this blog).  Never having thrown a child’s birthday party before, I was amazed at the pretty limited selection of themes.  If you aren’t a cartoon person, which Kate isn’t, finding non-branded, unique favors, games and gifts can be pretty difficult.

It was about the time I started thinking hard about how to make Kate’s birthday party unique, when the merchants here at HearthSong began talking about a new collection called HearthSong Celebrates.  The idea was simple: Group our toys and games into collections that reflected the seasons, holidays, and birthdays.  Talk about perfect timing!

So, I came up with the theme of a Do It Yourself Birthday party!  I am going to set up a few tables around the house and in the yard (PLEASE DON’T RAIN!) with different craft projects like Color-My-Heart Pendants Kit (I think I will need 2 of those since all the girls will want a pendant), a contest to make the best birthday card using Craft All Day.  To keep the boys entertained, Rocket Balloons and Flingshot Monkies.

Mike has volunteered to be in charge of the activities, and so we’ve planned Potato Sack Races and a scaventure hunt with Scaventure.  In lieu of a face painter, I’ll be using the Animal Hands.

For refreshments, I am keeping the Do It Yourself theme, and 2 other moms have volunteered to man the Mini Treat Maker Station.  And of course for the punch, Animal Nose Cups are a must.

Speaking of punch, here’s a great recipe for an easy, kid friendly punch. They can make it themselves too!

Kid Friendly Punch

1 lg. can lemonade concentrate, frozen
1 lg. can frozen apple juice concentrate
1 lg. can frozen orange juice concentrate
2 liter bottles of Ginger Ale

Just add everything to a large bowl.  Keep a large bucket of ice available next to it, but don’t add ice to the punch because it will water it down as the day goes by.

By Dyan C., Affiliate Manager and Website Producer