Story Antics: personalised story books for children

Do you remember getting personalised items as a child? I never really got any, because Toni wasn't {and still isn't} a common girl's name. I grew up when all the girls were called Emma, Sarah, Amanda and Lauren. My mum was clearly ahead of her time and had the audacity to call me a boys name {which I hated when I was young, but actually really like now}. The upside was nobody ever had the same name as me, except once I had a teacher called Toni, but that didn't count because we couldn't call her by her first name anyway. The downside was I never got the personalised stickers, stationary, money boxes and other novelty stuff sold at every newsagent. Seems like a total first world problem I know, but to tween me it was a big deal.

Fast forward and I now have my own children and while both of them have pretty standard names, only one can be found on most gimmicky personalised product stands, because I didn't use the traditional spelling for the other one {sorry, not sorry}. I can never find her name with the correct spelling in shops anywhere. However, the good thing for my kids is that they're growing up with the internet, and thanks to the internet I can pretty much personalise anything I want with their correct names. Hooray for small mercies, they'll never know the pain of not having their name permanently marked on things... where was the internet in the 1980's when I needed it?  Just sayin.

Thanks to my own experience as a child I have a natural desire to collect all the personalised stuff for my own kids. My greatest love when it comes to personalised products is picture books. I love that I can inject my children into a story and make them feel as though that book was written especially for them and about them. I recently created a personalised story book from Story Antics that features both of my girls.

AUSTRALIA'S NEWEST PERSONALISED STORY BOOKS FROM STORY ANTICS

Story Antics is a new online store specialising, as the name suggests, in stories. Story Antics brings together a dedicated team of authors and illustrators who create beautiful personalised stories for children under 5. There are stories about bravery, adventure, excitement, imagination, fun and humour.

Story Antics currently have 6 different personalised books available and you can read through each book online {Monster Macarons isn't pictured in the image above}.. I looked through all the books online with my 6yr old and chose The Cheeky Owl for my girls as it was the best fit for a number of reasons. Firstly, my eldest has had an affinity for owls since she was really young, so she loved the book as soon as she saw the owl on the cover. Secondly, one of the illustrations for the main character looked really similar to her and I could also include her sister as the baby. Thirdly, all 6yr old's are pretty much obsessed with talking about poo and this book involves poo, so as much as I don't love all the toilet talk going on at our place this year, I knew it would appeal to her. Don't let the poo put you off though, it really is a cute story {and was written by Story Antics founder Lara Solomon}.

HOW TO PERSONALISE A STORY ANTICS BOOK

The process of ordering a Story Antics books online is really simple. Once you decide which story you want you then get the option to personalise each of the characters.

Clicking on each character image brings up the different options available, which generally includes illustrations with different hairstyles, hair colour and clothing colours. Some characters can also be interchanged between male and female. Below is an example of The Cheeky Owl characters changed and renamed {no those aren't my kids real names}.

After the characters have all been finalised you can then choose to add a personalised dedication page. Once you've finished creating the book you can flip through a virtual proof to ensure there are no mistakes, then after placing your order it takes approximately two weeks to arrive at your door.

OUR PERSONALISED STORY ANTICS BOOK

When our story book arrived it was even better than I was anticipating. It was packaged beautifully and extremely carefully so it wouldn't get damaged in the mail. The book itself is a lovely big A4 size with large text making it easy for little readers to read aloud or follow along with. The pages are thick good quality 200gsm paper, so they're built to withstand all the love and affection the kids will inevitably smother it with over the years.

My 6yr old was so excited when the book arrived and it looked just like the one she helped me put together online{she named the owl and picked out the colours when I was ordering it}. We sat down and she read through the entire story herself. She only started school this year and has gone from not being able to read at all to now reading entire picture books. I'm so incredibly proud of how determined and excited she's been to learn how to read, which is one of the reasons why I wanted to get a special book just about her.

If you're looking for a truly unique present for your little one for a special occasion, or just because, Story Antics books are definitely worth checking out. With so many different story options there's sure to be one to suit your child, or children.

Toni x

Disclosure ~ I was provided with a Story Antics book of my choosing in exchange for a review.  All opinions expressed are based on my ordering experience and our experience with the product. I did not receive payment for this post.

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The perfect teacher gift: 5 picture books to say thank you to your teacher

In our house we love books and have been reading them to the girls since they were born. I'm a little scared to count how many we actually have in the house, but I'm sure each and every one has been a valuable addition to our home. We have a tradition of picking books for fathers day and mothers day and we use books to celebrate special holidays like Christmas and Easter. We also love to use books for bookish play activities. It should come as no surprise then that we also love to give books as gifts for special occasions and I can't think of a more perfect teacher gift idea than a special book. I've never met a teacher who doesn't love books.

Throughout the early years of schooling {prep, foundation, kindy, preschool etc} teachers impart a huge amount of knowledge, empowering our children with fundamental skills they'll take right through their schooling years and beyond, so it seems only fitting to thank them for their time and effort. These are our favourite picture books that are perfect for end of year or teacher appreciation day gifts to say thank you to kindy, primary and elementary school teachers.

*This post contains some affiliate links*

PICTURE BOOKS TO SAY THANK YOU TO TEACHERS 
- THE PERFECT TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY OR END OF YEAR GIFTS -

Because I Had a Teacher | Kobi Yamanda

Because I Had a Teacher is a beautiful book to say thank you to your favourite teacher. Each page is an individual thank you for a new skill or feeling a child now has because they had a teacher. It's a gorgeous picture book for any teacher, teacher aide, childcare educator or mentor.

Thank You (a book for teachers) | Sandy Gingras

Sandy Gingras so aptly points out in the introduction to her book Thank You, a life lived well is perhaps the highest form of thanks a person can give to teachers as a way of repaying them for their attention and effort. A simple thank-you is also nice. Thank You is Gingras's own delightful way of conveying this sentiment. This charming keepsake book features her soft, sweet watercolour artwork and thoughtful original text celebrating teachers and all they do for us.

Teachers Rock | Todd Parr

Teachers Rock is a fun, bright, positive and heart warming picture book about why teachers are so special. With bright colourful illustrations, Teachers Rock, takes us through all the reasons why Todd Parr loves teachers and everything they do. 

Thanks from The Very Hungry Caterpillar | Eric Carle

Thanks from the very hungry caterpillar isn't specifically written for teachers, but would certainly make a great teacher gift as well as a general thank you gift for friends and family members to acknowledge an important loved one. Eric Carle uses his distinctive, colourful illustrations to say thanks to whomever you choose for their encouragement and guidance.

I DID MY HOMEWORK IN MY HEAD | Alyssa Cowit & Greg Dunbar

I Did My Homework In My Head is the hilarious result of the instagram account @LivefromSnackTime where Alyssa Cowit and Greg Dunbar share funny reader submitted kids quotes. The book is a compilation of the many innocent {and sometimes not-so-innocent} things children say. Full of excuses and funny musings about life, pets, family, relationships and homework, this book is sure to bring a smile to your teachers face!

The great thing about all these books is that, if by chance your teacher already has them in their personal collection, they can still use your gift in the classroom or the school library for other students to enjoy. Books really are the teacher gift that keeps on giving for generations.

Disclosure - This post contains some affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you, should you make a purchase. All books purchased from Book Depository come with free worldwide shipping.

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Cute halloween craft ideas for home and the classroom using free printables.

Halloween has been huge in America for years and is becoming more and more popular here in Australia. My kids have been wanting to celebrate it more each year, however as a parent I often struggle with the stranger danger and horror elements of the holiday. We don't do trick or treating or turn our house into a house of horrors, but we do love doing halloween play activities and decorating the inside of the house.

How do you celebrate Halloween without exposing young kids to too much gore and horror? 

I've scoured the internet to find the cutest free halloween craft printables perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. These printables are great for decorating the house, classroom activities, cute costumes and sugar free halloween fun... and the best part is they're all free and can be downloaded in seconds. All you need for most of them is access to a printer and some paper, scissors and pens or crayons to decorate.

* This post contains some affiliate links *

MAKE CUTE PUPPETS AND MORE WITH THESE FREE HALLOWEEN CHARACTER PAGE PRINTABLES

Mini character colouring in sheets are a great craft activity, starting with a blank canvas, kids can put their own personal touch and bring the characters to life with different colours and fun facial expressions. With a little imagination they can also be turned into some pretty cool props. Cut out the finished images and you can turn them into puppets, magnets, gift tags, buntings and more.

Dabbles and babbles has a really cute free monster colouring in page which we turned into monster puppets for story telling with the book That's Not My Monster. My daughter and I coloured in the monsters then we glued on some googly eyes and taped them to popsicle sticks to turn them into puppets. Download the monster colouring in sheet here.

One of the first halloween craft activities I ever did with my girls was to make these cute dress up ghost puppets using the template from Barley and Birch. We printed off the template, coloured in the accessories with crayons then laminated them. I stuck the ghosts to some sticks and attached the accessories using blu tack so they could still be moved around. You can also use the template to make cute ghost stickers following this tutorial. This template is normally 99c but you can use the code FMY19 to download it for free here.

These cute halloween mini character colouring in pages from Picklebums include blank sheets of pumpkins, ghosts and skulls. Kids can get creative and decorate jack-o-lanterns, make casper the friendly ghost and all his friends and colour in some fabulous sugar skulls. Download the free template from Picklebums here.

FREE HALLOWEEN COLOURING IN SHEETS AND BOOKS

Colouring in pages are a great way for parents to entertain kids at home and can also be used by teachers as a classroom activity. These colouring sheets and booklets allow the kids to have some Halloween fun without getting too scary. 

These cute halloween colouring in pages from Gift of Curiosity come in a set of 10 pages. The drawings are nice and simple and the pack comes with a number of characters that aren't too scary.

This kawaii style halloween treats colouring in page is super cute and lets kids have some candy fun without the sugar high or the need to trick or treat. Download the free PDF from Fun For Little Ones.

This free halloween colouring in pages and cards set includes 5 adorable full sheet designs which can be used as colouring in pages and 3 designs that can be folded up and used as cards. Download the free templates from Rock Your Homeschool here.

These free do a dot halloween printables from Gift of Curiosity include 27 different designs. Use colourful dot markers to practice fine motor skills and fill in the empty spaces to complete the pictures. Alternatively the sheets could be laminated and used with colourful counters, dot stickers and playdough. Find out even more activity ideas for these printables and download the free template here.

This printable halloween counting book has 11 pages and allows kids to practice writing, reading and counting. There are 10 different halloween related animals and objects so kids can count from 1-10 as they work through the book. This would make an excellent classroom maths activity. Download the free template from Teach Beside Me here.

For some colouring in fun and reading practice download this Trick or Treat Easy Reader Book from 3 Dinosaurs. Kids will love colouring in the cute illustrations and it's a great way for emergent readers to practice beginner sight words. The book is 10 pages long featuring different costume ideas for trick or treating and would make a great classroom activity.

MAKE READING FUN WITH THESE FREE HALLOWEEN BOOKMARKS

Do you read spooky books at halloween time? Even if you don't, you can give your current read a bit of Halloween cuteness by using one of these free printable halloween bookmarks. To make them last longer laminate them once they're decorated.

I'm loving these colouring in halloween bookmarks from Real Life At Home. Not only are they super cute, kids can also add their own touch by colouring them in. It'd make a great classroom activity too, or use them as classroom gifts for your students. Download the template from Real Life At Home here.

These free printable bookmarks are coloured in and ready to go, simply print and laminate. They'd be great for preschoolers to use in the classroom or school library.

DRESS UP WITH THESE FREE HALLOWEEN MASKS

Young kids love dress up fun and {apart from book week} Halloween is arguably one of the best excuses for a dress up party! For some quick, no fuss costume solutions, download these spooky cute Halloween masks from Mr Printables. Black cat, skull, spider, green monster, Jack-O-Lantern and the moth make quick and easy disguises and all you'll need is a printer, paper, scissors and some string.

DECORATE THE HOUSE OR CLASSROOM WITH THESE FREE HALLOWEEN GARLANDS

Halloween decorations aren't always spooky and scary, decorate the house or the classroom with these cute free halloween garlands. To make them last longer I recommend either printing them out on cardstock or laminating them once you're done decorating them.

This pacman halloween garland brings back all the nostalgia for me! How cute are the little ghosts?! To make this garland download the template from Mini Eco. You could make the garland up in black as shown here or leave the ghosts white, or even mix it up with bright colours for a retro feel.

This free candy corn halloween garland has loads of learning opportunities as well as being super cute. It has letters to trace to spell out halloween, kids can colour it in and use it to recognise different emotions. To create your candy corn garland and find out all the learning possibilities, download the template from Tot School Resources.

Click here for some fun Halloween Sensory Play Ideas

Click here to make super easy Halloween Toilet Paper Mummies 

For more ideas visit my Halloween Pinterest Board

Disclosure - This post contains some affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you, should you make a purchase.

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5 minute Toilet Paper Roll Houses

Most people automatically put their empty toilet paper rolls in the bin {recycling bin hopefully}, however if you have small children you should stop this straight away. Toilet paper rolls are one of, if not the greatest, recyclable craft item ever... and the best thing is every home has an abundant supply of them. Another big bonus of toilet paper rolls is they're free and they can be used for so many different craft projects. Our latest creation has been toilet paper houses for our peg dolls.

* This post contains some affiliate links *

HOW TO MAKE TOILET PAPER HOUSES IN LESS THAN 5 MINUTES

** Please note this craft activity is intended to be done by children over 5yrs old who have developed scissor and writing skills {under adult supervision} or by adults themselves **

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

- Toilet Rolls 

- Egg carton

- Scissors

- Peg dolls

- Pen

The beauty of this craft activity is that all items needed can be found around the house for free. It also probably takes longer to gather all the supplies than it does to actually make the toilet paper roll houses. Fast, free and easy... yes please!

HOW TO CREATE TOILET PAPER ROLL HOUSES

1. Cut the egg carton base into individual pieces

2. Trim the edges to create little cap roofs

3. Measure the door on the toilet roll

4. Draw the door frame

5. Carefully cut out the door frame

6. Draw on window frames

7. Put egg carton lid roofs on top of toilet paper rolls

8. Decorate your houses {optional}

The first step you need to do is to cut out each of the egg holders in the egg carton into individual pieces by cutting in between each row and down the centre of the carton base. Once they're separated they'll have a square edge, trim the edges off so they have rounded edges and look like little round caps. 

Next take your peg doll, fairy, elf, gnome {whatever figurine you will be using with your houses} and hold it up against the toilet paper roll to measure the height and width needed for the door frame to allow them to fit inside. Draw a frame on with pen and then carefully cut it out with scissors. This can be a bit fiddly so is easier to do using small scissors. Once it's cut out your figurine should fit easily inside the door frame.

You can add character to your houses by drawing on different window designs {maybe take a bit more care than we did}. You could also cut these out, but that will require a stanley knife as it's too tricky with scissors. To finish off your toilet paper houses add the egg carton roof on top. The roof should fit on nice and snug, but still be easy to remove. 

As you can see from our photos I kept our designs really simple and haven't properly decorated them yet. I'm planning on painting each roof a colour of our peg dolls so that we can use the houses for colour sorting as well as imaginary play. I might also make some more and decorate them as toad stools or tree stump houses with paints and pen details. For now the girls are having lots of fun using the houses with our different felt play mats and if they get a little rough and accidentally destroy them, it'll be super easy to make some more.

Do you have fun using toilet paper rolls for craft?

You can find more toilet paper craft ideas on my pinterest board.

Toni x

Disclosure - This post contains some affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you, should you make a purchase. Our peg dolls and play mat are from My Big World Playscapes on Etsy.

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Learn abc's, 123's and colours through music with Mixmaster Scout

Do you know music has so many benefits for children? 

It's especially beneficial when they're exposed to it during early development, while they're still fine tuning their muscle strength and vocabulary. Music is not only fun and calming for children, it also helps to develop sounds and words whilst listening to songs. Bopping along to a beat and dancing also works gross motor skills. Music is a great sensory and developmental experience on it's own, but now LeapFrog have combined the power of music, cognitive and physical development with literacy and numeracy skills in the new LeapFrog Learn & Groove Mixmaster Scout toy.

LEAPFROG LEARN & GROOVE MIXMASTER SCOUT

The LeapFrog Learn & Groove Mixmaster Scout creates a fun, engaging way for toddlers to learn abcs, numbers and colours through music. Mixmaster Scout has 4 different coloured and numbered buttons which light up and say the respective colours, numbers, instrument names and sounds, and a variety of other special effects when pressed. The Mixmaster has 3 different modes - abc, 123 and colours which each have 10 different background beats. The fidget spinner and turntable toggle overlay different effects on top of the background beats when turned. Using the fidget spinner, toggle and control switches children are able to use the 30 base songs and a variety of sound effects and phrases to create up to 180 different musical combinations.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

- Cause and effect
- Fine motor skills & pincer grip
- Visual, auditory & tactile stimulation
- Interactive, independent play
- Instrument names & sounds
- Numbers & Counting
- Music & Rhythm
- Alphabet
- Colours

"Engaging musical play stimulates infant’s sensory skills. With the large array of interactivity on the Learn & Groove® Mixmaster Scout™, Scout invites your child to press, dial, flip, and slide various manipulatives to exercise their developing fine motor skills, all the while discovering fun cause and effect relationships and exploring a wide variety of musical sounds." Clement Chau, PhD, LeapFrog® Learning Expert

My 2 year old is very much into learning colours at the moment so her favourite thing to do with Mixmaster Scout is point to the colour buttons at the top and quiz me on what colours they are. Mum what colour is it? She takes every opportunity she can to practice her colours and let me know what they are, even when spinning the turntable toggle she points out the background colours behind the little pictures of Scout. She also loves that the fidget spinner lights up green, blue and red when she spins it.

If you have a little one who loves to bop along to music the Learn & Groove Mixmaster will be sure to keep them entertained and it'll grow with them as they move onto learning colours, numbers and letters. It's also a great interactive toy for independent educational play.

Learn & Groove Mixmaster Scout is suitable for babies and toddlers from 9-36 months and is available online and in store from Toy Universe, Mr Toys Toyworld, Big W and other toy stores and online retailers. More information and a full stockist list is available at LeapFrog.

Toni x

Disclosure - I was kindly gifted a Learn & Groove Mixmaster Scout from LeapFrog for the purpose of review. I did not receive payment for this review however this post does contain some affiliate links. Stock product images have been used with permission.

You can read more LeapFrog toy reviews here.

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10 picture books to read with dad this fathers day.

When our first daughter was born I started the tradition of giving picture books for Fathers Day. I go with her to pick a new one each year. We usually try to pick books with characters that match her dad's personality or storylines that correlate with something that's happening in our lives at the time. We also include a little handwritten note to dad inside the cover. When she was really young I would write it for her, then as she got older she told me what to write and this year will be particularly exciting because she can write it herself. 

I love that it's a tradition she looks forward to each year and it also means we're building our own little library of dad related books. I can just imagine their dad in the future looking through the books after the girls have moved out, remembering reading together when they were little. If you want to start your own Fathers Day book tradition, or you just love books, these are our current top picks.

10 PICTURE BOOKS TO READ WITH DAD THIS FATHERS DAY

I LOVE DAD 

WITH THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

Eric Carle

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of the most iconic picture books for young children and I Love You Dad showcases Eric Carle's unique, vibrant illustrations to tell dad all the reasons why you love him. Unlike a lot of other Fathers Day picture books, this one is written to dad rather than about him. It's a lovely book to read aloud together or for emergent readers to read to dad.

MY DAD'S THE COOLEST

Rosie Smith | Bruce Whatley

Whether big or small, feathered or furry, dads always know how to make us laugh. My dads the coolest because he is fun and crazy about me... what about yours? My Dad's the Coolest captures the fun-loving bond between father and child exploring activities that they do together like tickling, playing and exploring. We got this book a few years ago when bub was still quite young and it's still a favourite.

MY DAD IS AMAZING

Sabrina Moyle | Eunice Moyle

My Dad is Amazing uses vibrant illustrations, a yeti {and other animals} and a good dose of humour to celebrate all the characteristics that make dad amazing. Whether dad is cool, tough, cuddly, brave or funny, this book has something for every dad. It also has a special message at the end for all the little people reading the book too.

I LOVE YOU, DADDY PIG

It looks like just another normal day for Peppa and George, Daddy Pig takes them to the supermarket, then for lunch with Granny and Grandpa Pig, before popping in to work for a while. But super Daddy Pig makes their day anything but ordinary by adding lots of fun and excitement to everything they do! I Love You, Daddy Pig would be the perfect fathers day gift from a Peppa Pig fan.

HOW NOT TO ANNOY DAD

Dave Hughes + Holly Ife | Heath McKenzie

This is the book we've bought for dad this year. To be honest the fact it's written by Dave Hughes and illustrated by Heath McKenzie is what originally attracted me to it, we love both of them in this household.

This book follows dad throughout a day with his kids and is a pretty hilarious {and accurate} portrayal of daily life with kids. From requests for multiple meals to different coloured spoons, to needing to pee right now... I dare say every single page will be familiar to all parents. How {not} to annoy dad is a fun book to read aloud with dad any day of the year, not just fathers day.

FRUIT BAT

BLUEY

Ok so I'm cheating a bit with this one as it technically won't be available before Fathers Day here in Australia, however it is available to preorder now and we're huge fans of Bluey so we'll definitely be getting the books. Bluey has been a phenomenal success since airing on ABC KIDS in October 2018, amassing legions of dedicated fans and taking the coveted position of being the most watched program ever on ABC iView. 

What we particularly love about Bluey is that it mainly focuses on Bluey's dad Bandit and his relationship with his daughters {Bluey and Bingo} and how they approach big issues through play. Fruit Bat is the story of how Bluey wants to be a fruit bat and realises this through a dream and it also touches on her dad's dreams and how life has changed for him since he became a father.

MY DAD THINKS HE'S FUNNY

Katrina Germein | Tom Jellett

Everyone loves a dad joke right? Even after hearing them 1000 times. The ideal gift book for anyone whose dad makes them laugh -- or roll their eyes. When his son says "I'm hungry," Dad says, "Hello, Hungry. Pleased to meet you." My Dad THINKS He's Funny is full of different dad jokes, so whether you have a dad who already knows allll the dad jokes, or one who needs to brush up on them, this book has him covered. It's a bit of a long picture book so best suited to kids aged 5+ 

MY DAD IS A ROBOT

Matt Cosgrove

Psssssst! Wanna hear something cool? Don't tell everyone, But my Dad is a... ROBOT! Admittedly, this dad is an older model. He doesn't have laser eyes or jet powered feet and his batteries regularly run flat. But there is one little boy who wouldn't change a thing...

GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU

Sam McBratney | Anita Jeram

Little Nutbrown Hare shows his daddy how much he loves him... as wide as he can reach and as far as he can hop. Big Nutbrown Hare, who can reach farther and hop higher, loves him back just as much. They each use different measurements to express their love for one another until Little Nutbrown Hare declares "I love you to the moon" and Big Nutbrown Hare declares "I love you to the moon and back". Guess How Much I Love You is adored in our household and was one of the very first picture books we ever bought when bub was born.

THE VERY ITCHY BEAR

Nick Bland

Bear is here . . . and here is Flea (but Flea's a little small to see). This is Flea about to bite, but not because he's impolite. He's biting bear to say, 'Hello!', biting high and biting low. Nick Bland uses humour and rhyming to tell the story of friendship that develops between Bear and flea. I know this one isn't specifically Fathers Day themed, however The Very Itchy Bear is one that the girls and their dad have loved reading together at bedtime for years now.

Do you have any special Fathers Day traditions in your family?

Toni x

Disclosure - This post contains some affiliate links for Book Depository which means I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you, should you make a purchase. All books purchased from Book Depository receive free worldwide shipping.

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