Parenting and Kids

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Treebobs Audio Books Review

Photo courtesy  of Tales4all.com

Photo courtesy of Tales4all.com

Audio books are something which are not very common to my kids. They haven’t really been exposed to these types of books and it was a great  time to introduce them to such books. Tales4all.com  has  a series of 5 stories on the Treebobs by Declan Harney.

 

Treebobs Rescue Rotten Rena

Treebobs Rescue Rotten Rena

1. The Treebobs and the Dizzy Broomstick.

2. The Treebobs Rescue Rotten Rena.

3. The Treebobs and the Runaway Cauldron.

4. The  Treebobs and the Giant Mole.

5. The Treebobs Save Christmas.

Each story  is about 15-16 minutes long and talks about the adventures that the  Treebobs(forest elves) have with their friends the fairies and the resident evil witch Rotten Rena.

My thoughts

The boys and I found the stories very entertaining and captivating.  The narrator and the audio cast  did an excellent job in using their voices  to portray the different characters and their actions in the stories.

We started listening to the story of The Treebobs and the Dizzy Broomstick first. The story was about how Rotten Rena and her fellow witch set up a broomstick shop in the forest and caused lots of chaos to it’s inhabitants.  The Treebobs with the help of their fairy friends hatched up a plan to put Rotten Rina out of business and reclaim  their peaceful home.

My 6yr old didn’t really understand the story the first time we listened to it but  he enjoyed listening to all the action that was happening in the story with the whizzing of the broomsticks and the cackling of the witches.  The 8yr old could understand the whole story and narrate a summary of what he listened to back to me.

The Treebobs and the Runaway Cauldron

The Treebobs and the Runaway Cauldron

The boys have listened to the stories  a few times and can relate back to me their favourite parts of each stories. They are hoping that there will be more Treebobs stories launched this year which they be able to tune in to.

I personally found the stories to be a great way for the kids to brush up on their listening skills. It is a great way of them to build up their creative juices by getting them to picture in their mind what is happening while the story is being told. By not having any pictures attached to the story they are free to create their own connections and develop their own “pictures”  in their mind.

This helps to strengthen their  cognitive thinking skills and gives them another platform to release their creativity. It has been shown in certain studies that kids retain information longer if they  are able to make their own associations and links between an object and their perception of the object.  It leaves a deeper impression in their mind when they themselves make their own association of what has happened in the story  instead of being shown in pictorial.

We will certainly be looking at more audio books after being introduced to these fantastic ones on the Treebobs.

If you are interested in hearing samples of the books you can catch them at their website Tales4all.com

 

Disclaimer:  I received  a complimentary download of the Treebobs series audios for review purposes. All opinions are 100% my own.

 

Writer’s Workshop: Not My Cup of Tea

Photo by Photoxpress

Photo by Photoxpress

Sewing or Cross Stitch was something which I attempted way back when I was a teenager. It was an “in thing” back then as many of my friends were doing cross stitch bags and other dainty accessories. Some of them even went into crocheting sweaters and making really cute keepsakes.

I remember doing a Cross Stitch set with a small frame. I can’t remember what picture it was but I do remember that it was a real chore completing that craft work.

Having to constantly  count the number of stitches and change the color of the thread is an activity which I I personally have little interest in.  The worst part of it is that you have to unpick the thread and start again if you had miscounted the number of stitches needed.

It does look pretty to have a handmade craft framed up and placed on the wall. However after some time it does collect dust and does look a bit dated after sometime. It would be more practical to turn the cross stitch into a useful item like a bag or cushion cover.  It would take lots more effort on my part to use a template and sew a bag using a sewing machine.

Something which seems more complicated and tedious then learning how to play a new song on the piano or violin. Something which I will never be able to gather sufficient interest to do a proper job in. Sewing is certainly not my cup of tea.

 

Is there any hobby which  which you pursued briefly?

What made you give it up?

Jenny Matlock Mama’s Losin’ It