library

letters, & numbers, & iPhones oh my

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Birdie is just starting preschool at a local Montessori School. Once over her initial what-the-heck-is-this-place response, closely followed by the where-the-heck-do-you-think-you’re-going attitude, she’s loving it. I’m loving their approach to learning and their focus on developing the whole child. Montessori methods involve a lot of deceptively simple tools and learning devices. For example, one of […]

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gotta get app: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

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This week’s best iPad app is an amazing book called The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. It’s actually based on a short film of the same name – which means this virtual book version is filled with some beautiful cinematic touches, not to mention lots of interactive features. Beautiful imagery, and a very […]

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gotta get app: Granimator

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Now this is my kind of app. A cross between stickers, grafitti art, high-falluttin’ design, and good ol’ free fun, Granimator lets you draw and design an endless combination of wallpapers for your iPad or iPhone. This app from UK-based Ustwo features art packs from a range of artists: you pick your pack, pick from […]

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summer swim fun

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Watching Birdie play in her silly little pool is one of my favorite simple summer pleasures. And capturing a splash like this one, with that sunlight, on my silly little iPhone makes it about ten times better. We made boats using some Hosta leaves, and people out of twigs, and spent lots of time … […]

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gotta get app: Nighty Night!

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Let me first apologize, I meant to do a test drive of this app with Birdie last night but our Father’s Day got a little craaazy! We were outside partying hard core. Laying pavers, planting plants, digging in the dirt, and running through the sprinkler. Simultaneously of course! Didn’t seem like my idea of a […]

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gotta get app: toca boca

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I can’t stop raving about my new favorite digital game play studio: Toca Boca. These guys are bringing true innovation to the world of digital play for kids. Particularly with this genre-bending concept: digital toys versus digital games. We all have examples of games and educational apps for kids (abcs, colors, etc.) But Toca Boca […]

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look, a book, called look! a book!

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For my generation, the best way to describe Look! A Book! by Bob Staake is to first whisper the words “Where’s Waldo?”. But I love this newer take on things – where everything is a hidden gem, with tons of options to keep your entire family of eyes busy for hours. It helps that it’s also […]

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600 posts & 5 giveaways: 6 Hervé Tullet Books (closed)

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Two years have passed since I started Small for Big. Can you believe it? 600 posts?! That’s unreal! This silly little blog has become – in equal parts – an addiction and a very good friend. I thoroughly enjoy talking with all you, creating a place to share my favorite things, gabbing about the latest […]

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this book is in one ear & out the other

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The stories? Monsters just trying to fit in like the rest of us, as written by Michael Dahl. Bud isn’t a very good listener (even with his humongo ears). Hannah has a case of cold feet (ice blocks, in fact). Poor George only has one head in a family of two-fers. And Harvey just isn’t […]

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app of the day

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It’s no secret that I’m an apple addict. We’ve got … lemmee think here … an iPad 2, three macbooks, four iPhones (three of them are still working), and several antique iPods. My proudest moment was the day I realized we’d converted my geekoid husband. It’ss rather impressive considering his Computer Science education – he’s […]

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oliver + s little things to sew review

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Serendipity is a powerful thing. I was browsing amazing craft books on Amazon the other day (there’s just so many these days that it makes my head spin!) and I added Oliver + S Little Things to Sew to my wishlist. The next day? I’m offered a review copy from it’s publisher STC Craft/Melanie Falick […]

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read Iggy Peck’s book out loud!

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Every parent knows that how a book READS is a very important part of being satisfied with our daily story time routine.  A good message can be ruined by sappy story-telling, and ignored by just plain bland sentence structure. I need me some flow, some rhythm, and lots of big words to sink my teeth […]

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a book with magical buttons

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Innovative. The word makes me a little giddy. It’s my favorite thing to find. It’s even headier when combined with another favorite thing: a book. Press Here by Hervé Tullet ($14.99) is both of those things in their simplest forms. It’s like he’s poking fun at our current dilemna: Nook, Kindle, or iPad? Forget the […]

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food is fun & so is the book

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You may not realize this, but you are desperately in need of a sassy cookbook that includes a recipe for “Super Easy Cake that a Monkey Could Make”. Anorak Magzine’s Food is Fun Cookbook is a hilarious combo of many many things food-related and fascinating. It’s like an all-in-one hybrid of activity book, fact book, […]

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calm down, boris!

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Birdie loves books. Her favorite book today happens to be a fat art book from my 3D Foundations class, full of black and white images of sculptures. One might say it’s beyond her? Nah, she flips through it just like I would, pausing for all the good pics, and I love that. But, of course, […]

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