We Have a Fan Page Now

So, I finally set up a fan page on FaceBook. Now I have to figure out exactly what to do there.

I've thought about putting up a post each week to get fans creative juices flowing through pictures, prompts and what ever else my brain thinks up.

What do you think?

Do any of you have fan pages?

What do you put on them?

I don't want it to just have twitter updates and blog post links. I want to use this fan page to enhance all that I have already.

Any suggestions are totally appreciated.

Oh, and click on the link and become a fan!

Laughing Zebra - Books for Children Fan Page

posted by Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
Laughing Zebra – Books for Children
Check out what’s going on at the zoo!
Zooprise Party / Fiesta Zoorpresa blog

Hidden Picture Pages

I love hidden picture pages, don't you? I really enjoy trying to find all the things hidden inside, and maybe even that aren't marked as hidden.

I've searched the internet and found a few good sites for them.

First we have a page from Highlights Magazine. Lots of free downloadable pictures that will keep you busy for hours.

Another really cool hidden picture page from Highlights. This one is interactive. Kids will love this one. Oh, and there are three different levels with each picture. Level 1 is the typical one. Pictures off to the side. Level 2 you have to find the picture of printed word shown. Level 3 is a blind hunt. In other words, no clues!

Last we have Liz Ball. I really like her hidden pictures. I download them and fill them in in Photoshop.

I decided I wanted to try my hand at making one to go with my book. Here it is. Let me know what you think of it for a first attempt.

Want to download it? Go over to my puzzle page at Laughing Zebra - Books for Children and you'll get a pdf of it. Have fun and please let me know what you think. Critiques are welcome.

posted by Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
Laughing Zebra – Books for Children
Check out what’s going on at the zoo!
Zooprise Party / Fiesta Zoorpresa blog

Introducing the Brand New Travel Pack

Working on marketing ideas is fun and frustrating at the same time. Trying to come up with something different that will stand out in the crowd is challenging.

We have a new product bundle that we think is really good. Children will have fun, keep busy and learn all at the same time.

Okay, so what is it already? We've bundled our book, activity book and bilingual flash cards together.

This is a $20 value and we're offering it for $13.95.

That's 30% off!

Get yours today.

Thank you in advance.

See you back here Friday. Have fun until then. Read a book with a child, take it to the next level and share please.

posted by Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
Laughing Zebra – Books for Children
Check out what’s going on at the zoo!
Zooprise Party / Fiesta Zoorpresa blog

Great Crafting Sites for Kids and the Young at Heart

Over the summer I've been hosting 'Zebee's Summer Zoo Camp' over at Laughing Zebra - Books for Children. I've done lots of interent hunting for crafts to go with each week.

I kept coming back to a few crafts sites and want to make notice of them here. I owe the creators of these sites a big THANK YOU for all their wonderful ideas I've shares with children this summer.

DLTK - full of wonderful ideas to keep your children entertained for hours.

First School - great preschool activities and crafts.

Free Kids Crafts - more cool crafts.

These should get you started on fun times with your kids when they are bored and are looking for arts and crafts to do.

Have fun! See you back here Friday.

posted by Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
Laughing Zebra – Books for Children
Check out what’s going on at the zoo!
Zooprise Party / Fiesta Zoorpresa blog

Getting Excited and Learning Something New

Today I just want to share.

Over at Laughing Zebra – Books for Children this summer I'm hosting a virtual summer zoo camp. Many of you may have popped in to check it out. Thanks.

What I'm excited about is that I'm learning so much about the animals I'm highlighting. I'm also learning more amd more about how to do research on the internet. Honestly, I don't know how I lived without this wonderful tool for most of my life. The wealth of information out there is amazing. That's not to say there's not a lot of garbage out there too. You have to sift through it all to find the pearls you are looking for.

I use Google, Wikipedia, National Geographic Kids, and Discovery channel/Animal Planet to name a few of the big sites for basic information and videos. I also check out and all kinds of kid friendly activity sites to locate arts and crafts ideas and coloring pages.

So, how do you research something? Do you pop into a search engine in the comfort of your home? Or do you run down to the library? Or both?

Oh, and if you haven't stopped in to the zoo camp yet, check it out now and let me know what you think.

posted by Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
Laughing Zebra – Books for Children
Check out what’s going on at the zoo!
Zooprise Party / Fiesta Zoorpresa blog

Zebee's Summer Zoo Camp is Open!

Are you looking for something fun and educational for your children this summer? Then may I suggest our virtual summer camp? It's free, online, interactive and full of fun things to learn and do.

This week's we are all about meerkats. Learn basic facts and fun facts, watch a video, do a jigsaw puzzle, write a poem and have fun with arts and crafts.

Here's the schedule for the eight week camp:

July 6-10 Meerkat Mania

July 13-17 Leaping Lizards

July 20-24 Virtuous Vultures

July 27-31 Fascinating Frogs

August 3-7 Observant Okapis

August 10-14 Playful Penguins

August 17-21 Slithery Snakes

August 24-28 Amazing Antelope

If you haven't signed up yet, that's okay. To sign up just go to our Zoo Camp page. There is no charge and you might just win one of our 5 prizes.

Join in the fun! It's going to be a great time.

posted by Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
Laughing Zebra – Books for Children
Check out what’s going on at the zoo!
Zooprise Party / Fiesta Zoorpresa blog

What’s Going on This Summer at Laughing Zebra - Books for Children?

Today I have a very exciting announcement. We at Laughing Zebra-Books for Children are going to have a virtual summer camp for all children world wide. The activities will be geared towards children between 4 and 8, but anyone can join in the fun.

Our camp’s name is “Zebee’s Summer Zoo Camp” and will be all about zoo animals. Zebee is our company mascot and he loves to talk to people. He’ll be talking about the camp happenings over at his blog, “Zooprise Party / Fiesta Zoorpresa” every Tuesday.

What exactly is a virtual summer camp? Good question. We will be posting on our Zoo Camp page each week all the information, games, crafts and other fun stuff for that week’s animal. You can send your pictures and comments there and we’ll post them there and over with Zebee on Tuesdays.

There will also be 5 prize packages given away. All the information on how to enter to win is listed on the Zoo Camp page. You can sign up there as well.

Parents, this will be a fun thing for your children to get involved in this summer. It’s free and will keep them entertained while they learn a few things. If you have friends with children between the ages of 4 and 8, tell them about it too. Thank you for helping to spread the word.

posted by Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
Laughing Zebra – Books for Children
Check out what’s going on at the zoo!
Zooprise Party / Fiesta Zoorpresa blog

Book of the Week: “N is For Nature” by Tim Magner

I really enjoy reviewing children books. I get to see what others are putting out there for children to learn from. Today’s book is no exception. This is the third book by Tim Magner I’ve reviewed. All three deal with awareness of our planet and going green. Here’s my review for today.
* * * * *
What a clever way to teach the ABC’s. “N is for Nature” takes you on a journey around planet earth in a fun and imaginative way. You will not only learn your ABC’s, you will also learn about the Amazon, Great Apes, reptiles and more. Whether it’s animals, insects or habitats, it’s all part of nature.

Mike Nudelman is the incredibly talented illustrator of this book. His art brings the book to life. Each time you read through “N is for Nature” you’ll see something new.
* * * * *
So, how does Tim take his book beyond reading? Starting on page one he opens worlds to be explored and gets you in the mood to do just that.

You can go over to Green Sugar Press and download a coloring book. It’s 27 pages of alphabet coloring fun.

He also has a resource page with links to help you and your children go green.

If you’re interested in learning more about going green, Green Sugar Press has a Grown-up Bookshelf with all kinds of books about nature and how to preserve and use it to the fullest.

Pop over and buy your copy today.

See you all back here Wednesday when I’ll share what’s new over at Laughing Zebra – Books for Children. We are planning a fun and exciting summer. Don’t miss reading all about it.

posted by Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
Laughing Zebra – Books for Children
Check out what’s going on at the zoo!
Zooprise Party / Fiesta Zoorpresa blog

Raising Bilingual Children

In this day and age, being bilingual is really a must. Speaking only one language, what ever it is, limits you in many facets of life. For our children growing up in this century, they are at a great disadvantage.

Not sure how to start? Here are a few websites that can help you on your way.

The Multilingual Children’s Association has tips for getting started, resources, a bulletin board and more. They have community pages to help you find other families going through the same things you are. Dig around, I know you’ll find things to help you get started.

Another helpful site is Multilingual Munchkins. On the home page you’ll find links like Language Corner, Parents Corner and Reading Corner. The link I like best is the Activity Corner. In there they have a whole page dedicated to activities based on children’s books. They’ve taken books and found or created crafts, cooking and other activities that relate to the book. This site also has a yahoo group you can join and share with families all over the world as you teach your children multiple languages.

Looking for a book with an activity book and a teacher's guide that can help you get started? Check out mine over at Laughing Zebra - Books for Children. I also have lots of activites and interactive things on my web site.

See you back here on Monday with another great book that goes beyond reading.

Laughing Zebra - Books for Children

Let's take a tour!

Hop on over to Laughing Zebra - Books for Children. Here you'll find all kinds of things that take my book, "Zooprise Party / Fiesta Zoorpresa" beyond reading.

I believe that children learn better if they get the message delivered in a variety of ways. Reading is wonderful, don't get me wrong, I just believe we can add to books to make the learning process even more fun.

What child doesn't like coloring pages? We have several to choose from. We also have an email link that children can send their pictures to us and we'll post them right there for all their friends to see.

Puzzles, puzzles and more puzzles. I love puzzles of all types, don't you? Here we have jigsaw puzzles, a maze, even a memory game you can print out and play.

Crafts are an all time favorite. We have several so far to choose from. There are two kinds puppets and a mask. I love crafts, so look for more in the coming months.

We even have recipes that can go along with "Zooprise Party / Fiesta Zoorpresa." Have you ever thought about what an okapi eats? What do they like that we humans like? Carrots! Since the story is about a birthday party, we have a few carrot cake recipes for you to bake and enjoy.

Who out there likes word games? I sure do, so we have a page dedicated just to them. Right now we have a word search and flash cards in English and Spanish. I know I'll be adding more here soon.

Of course, what would a publisher's site be with out a bookstore. Here we have our books for sale at 20% off plus free shipping. Oh, and they will be autographed by the author, illustrator and translator.

Since our books come with teacher's guides, we have a page just for teachers. I have plans for this page to include links to other sites that help teachers in all they do.

Want to see what's going on behind the sceens with Laughing Zebra - Books for Children? Check out our media page. There you'll see reviews, video clips, interviews and more.

You can also subscribe to our newsletter. You'll find a box to sign up os every page. If you find a page that doesn't have it, please let me know.

posted by Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
Laughing Zebra – Books for Children
Check out what’s going on at the zoo!
Zooprise Party / Fiesta Zoorpresa blog

Tip #16 Mix and match memory game

Another fun game is a Mix and Match Memory game. Like the flashcards, the fun is in the making of them.

Have your child or student help find pictures of things in the story. Remember, they need to find two identical pictures of each one.

Cut them out and glue them onto 3x5 cards.

Turn them upside down on the table and mix them up.

Now have your child or student find the matching pairs.

An easier version of this is to place the cards face up on the table, let them study the pictures and where they are for one minute.

Turn them over where they are.

Have the child or student turn over the pairs as fast as they can.

Here’s one sheet from mine for “Zooprise Party / Fiesta Zoorpresa”. You can find this complete game and other things to take my book beyond reading at Laughing Zebra - Books for Children

See you tomorrow!