• About Me
    • About Me
    • Contact Me
    • PR & Advertising
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Disclosure
  • Frugal Living
    • Giveaways
    • Living a Frugal Life
    • Freebies
    • Homeschool Printables
    • Recycling
  • Inspiration
    • Inspiration & Quotes
    • Charity

Castle View Academy

Curiosity + Creativity = Learning

  • Home
  • Learning
    • Home Education
    • Homeschool Art
    • Field Trips
    • Homeschool Geography
    • Health
    • Homeschool History
    • Homeschool Language Arts
      • Books
        • Book Activities
    • Life Skills
    • Homeschool Math
    • Music
    • Homeschool Science
    • Sports
  • Creativity
    • Book Activities
    • Craft
    • Culture
      • Africa
      • Asian Cultures
      • Europe
      • North America
      • South America
      • Oceania
    • Nature
    • Outdoors
    • Playtime
  • Holidays & Seasons
    • Holidays
      • Valentine’s Day
      • St. Patrick’s Day
      • Easter
      • Mother’s Day
      • Father’s Day
      • Canada Day
      • Thanksgiving
      • Halloween
      • Christmas
      • New Year
    • Seasons
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Autumn
      • Winter
  • Recipes
    • Beverages
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Snacks
    • Fun Food
    • Fun Recipes for Play
  • Family
    • Family Life
    • Parenting
  • Reviews
Home » Education » Educational Gifts For Kids

Educational Gifts For Kids

November 10, 2016 by Crystal McClean

I can’t believe I’m already thinking about Christmas!  And boy do I have lots of gifts for you this year! Subscribe to my emails to make sure you don’t miss a thing; I’ll be running a series of gift guides to help you choose the perfect gift for just about everyone.  First up is my gift guide of Educational Gifts Kids Will Love.

Educational Gifts For Kids as approved by Castle View Academy homeschool

Please note that affiliate links are used in this post.

ABCmouse.com

We reviewed ABCmouse.com a few years back and my kids loved it (you can read our review here).  ABCmouse.com has grown since then and now covers ages 2 – 7 across 8 levels with over 650 lessons and more than 7,000 individual learning activities!  Try it out FREE for 30 days!

Kids will love to ‘play’ with ABCmouse.com and parents will love that their young children are learning.  I found this program to be the perfect thing for Kallista to work on while I was helping Tristan with hands-on learning.

ABCmouse.com

Sign up for your free 30-day trial to get acquainted with it.  

You can purchase a subscription (or free trial) to ABCmouse. com here.

To learn more about ABCmouse.com find them at their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Photo Adventures For KidsPhoto Adventures For Kids reviewed by Castle View Academy homeschool

If your child has an interest in photography, Photo Adventure For Kids will be perfect for them.  Whether they will receive a new camera as a gift, already have one, or will use your hand-me-down, this children’s photography guide will teach them how to frame their shot (there’s even a cardboard frame included for some of the assignments), how to use the manual settings (yes, some of us adults can also learn a lot from this book!), and learn how to crop in different ways to get the picture you want.

Kids taking photos is a wonderful thing at Castle View Academy homeschool

This 140 page book by Anne-Laure Jacquart is packed full of colourful pictures and advice to get kids feeling confident with their camera and ready to take on the world.  I love to see what life looks like from 3 feet tall and what’s important to my children.

My children love to take photos, and this guide is helping them to take much better photos!  Now they’re looking for textures, angles, and detail.  It won’t be long before they’ll be joining me at my camera club meetings.

READ MORE:   Books About Interesting Monarchs For Kids

Photo Adventure For Kids is available from Rocky Nook, Amazon.com, and Amazon.co.uk.

To learn more about Rocky Nook find them at their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Amelie Stories

Amelie Stories by Kim Hoffmeister and enjoyed by Castle View Academy homeschool

My children have been learning some French this autumn, but it isn’t easy to expose them to the language here.  What a beautiful coincidence it was when a fellow home educator in France contacted us to see what we thought about her audiobooks which encourage children to learn French through the life of a little French girl named Amélie.

Kim Hoffmeister and James Hoffmeister have done a really lovely job with these stories.  They’re interesting and children will be caught up in Amelié’s mishaps. With French vocabulary woven throughout the English stories children will recognise (or learn) some of the words they’ve been working on.  These stories are good for quiet time, to have on while children are playing, and at bedtime.

Amelie and the chocolates is very cute and you can picture a young child sneaking chocolates one by one thinking that no one will notice! This story introduces the numbers 1-10 in French (from Amelie Stories Volume I).  My son is in the midst of losing teeth while his little sister is impatient to start losing hers, so they quite enjoyed Amelie Loses a Tooth (Amelie and The Ferry).

You can listen to a story free by visiting Amélie Stories – introducing simple French vocabulary. Learn and have fun on Facebook and checking out the post at the top of the page.  If you like what you hear, you can purchase more stories on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

You can follow Kim through her blog, Confused In France or on Facebook.

Let’s Bake: A Step by Step Introduction
Let's Bake with Little Gestalten and Castle View Academy homeschool

Children love to get into the kitchen and bake – but  most cookbooks aren’t made for kids.  With Let’s Bake, children are encouraged to get creative all on their own (with a little help from adults for using the oven).

READ MORE:   My First Origami Fairy Tales

The recipes aren’t ‘kidified’; they are the real thing, and the photos of the finished product look good enough for The Great British Bake Off (soon my children will be putting my baking to shame, I’m sure).   The ingredients and photo of the finished product take up a 2-page spread, and on the following spread the recipes instructions are both in type and illustrated forms – making it easy to follow along.

Let's Bake Shortbread Cookie with Little Gestalten and Castle View Academy homeschool

Some of the recipes your children will enjoy baking are:

  • Cheesecake in a Glass
  • Shortcrust Cookies
  • Mug Cake
  • Hedgehog Cake

This book would make a wonderful gift for a budding baker; wrap it up in a mixing bowl and a few ingredients and cover it with a tea towel or apron and you won’t hear “I’m bored” during the long winter days!

Available through Gestalten, Amazon.com, and Amazon.co.uk

Follow Gestalten through their website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Pick And Draw

Pick And Draw Game

You know we love the Pick and Draw game!  If I recall, The Big Book of Pick And Draw was the first item we ever reviewed here at Castle View Academy (although at the time we were Crystal’s Tiny Treasures).  You can see our reviews here and here.

Learn to draw with Pick and Draw

This year we packed up our PAD game cards and took them on the road with us camping.  They’re small and all you need to go with the cards is paper and a pencil.  They’re perfect for travel, a stocking stuffer, or to take out when the grandkids visit.

You can purchase Pick And Draw here.

The Big Book of Pick and Draw Activities is available on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

My Body: Explained and Illustrated 

My Body by Little Gestalten and reiewed by Castle View Academy homeschool

llustration by Golden Section Graphics, from My Body, Copyright Little Gestalten 2015

Try the World’s Best Homeschool Planner for FREE!
  • Do your kids ever ask you about how their body works?
  • How do muscles work?
  • How can I see?
  • Why does my heart beat?
  • How do broken bones mend?
  • How do I pee?

Kids are full of questions and we don’t always have all of the answers.  My Body is 48 pages long and filled with illustrations and explanations to help satisfy inquisitive young minds.

Find out how the kidneys work in My Body as reviewed by Castle View Academy homeschool

Illustration by Golden Section Graphics, from My Body, Copyright Little Gestalten 2015

What I enjoy about this book is that it gives solid information, it doesn’t talk down to kids, and it gives just enough information to answer questions without becoming dry.  It leaves children wanting to learn more, which is just how a book should be.

READ MORE:   Festive November Degustabox

There are also two pages that give the basics of reproduction in a straight-forward yet and non-graphic way.  My body is recommended for ages 8 and up and is a great book for homeschoolers or those who have curious children.

Available through Gestalten, Amazon.com, and Amazon.co.uk

Follow Gestalten through their website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

That’s What You Think! A Mind-Boggling Guide to the Brain

That's What You Think! A Mind-boggling Guide To The Brain, Castle View Academy homeschool

Photography by Jan von Holleben from That’s What You Think!, Copyright Little Gestalten 2015

That’s What You Think! by Jan von Holleben, Michael Madeja, and Katja Naie is a wonderful book for  curious kids!  Kids asked the experts 80 questions and they’re all answered in this book:

  • How fast can you think?
  • How many things can you think about at once?
  • Where do your memories go if you lose your memory?
  • Does a brain have feelings?
  • Where does our soul live?
  • Why does food taste bad when I’ve got a cold?
  • Can people who research the brain read minds?

Who wouldn’t want to know what the answers are?  This 184 page book is filled with full-colour photographs and fun images to make the subject matter even more interesting.  Kids (and parents) will love to pick this title up and read through a question now and again, or take it to bed and read it in a few sessions.

Do we have different neurons for each school subject Castle View Academy homeschool reads about it

Photography by Jan von Holleben from That’s What You Think!, Copyright Little Gestalten 2015

That’s what you think! is aimed at children of 11 and over, but slightly younger children will also have a lot of fun learning interesting facts.

Available through Gestalten, Amazon.com, and Amazon.co.uk

Follow Gestalten through their website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

50+ Gift Guide For Kids of All Ages

Gift Guides for kids of all ages at Castle View Academy homeschool

To give you even more great gift ideas this season, some of my friends from the Kid Blogger Network have come together to share our gift guides with you.  Hop on over to KC Edventures and have a look!  The guides are divided by interest and by age for convenience.

Happy shopping!

Filed Under: Books, Education, Homeschool Reviews Tagged With: AF-AM, AF-PAD, Collaborative, Gestalten, Gift Guide, Gift ideas, KBN

About Crystal McClean

I am a Mom, Wife, Home Educator, and Virtual Assistant. We love to have fun together while learning and exploring our environment.

« Christmas ‘Wishes’ Wishbone Tree Ornament
Farming Simulator 17; Our Review »

Comments

  1. Tracy Sylvester says

    November 12, 2016 at 6:12 pm

    Favorite letter is C..and favorite animal is a dog. Although I think I love cats just as much as dogs. Fantastic giveaways. Good luck all

  2. Tracy Sylvester says

    November 12, 2016 at 6:19 pm

    The best photo I have ever taken was of my family in the Christmas lights last year.

  3. Stephanie says

    November 13, 2016 at 2:32 am

    My favorite letter is S and.My favorite animal is a Cow (Love Black and White)

  4. Stacey Carnell says

    November 14, 2016 at 6:55 pm

    My favourite letter is N (for my son) and my fave animal is an elephant because they are so majestic <3

  5. Angela Treadway says

    November 15, 2016 at 10:20 am

    my fav letter is c and my fav animal is tiger x

  6. aj says

    November 15, 2016 at 10:29 am

    T is for Tiger

  7. aj says

    November 15, 2016 at 10:31 am

    a family photo taken in Florida

  8. Laura Pritchard says

    November 15, 2016 at 8:27 pm

    One of a giraffe in front of the Sydney skyline at Taronga Zoo.

    • Crystal McClean says

      November 16, 2016 at 12:47 am

      That sounds like a good day out

  9. Solange says

    November 16, 2016 at 1:26 am

    My favourite letter is S and.My favourite animal is a wolf

  10. Ruth Harwood says

    November 16, 2016 at 8:06 am

    I love Lions and the letter A 🙂

  11. Ruth Harwood says

    November 16, 2016 at 8:09 am

    Of a Lion looking right at us in the zoo xx

  12. Ruth Harwood says

    November 16, 2016 at 8:11 am

    I’m not sure which Amilie story is our fave, we love all we’ve read so far xx

  13. Leila Benhamida says

    November 16, 2016 at 8:24 am

    My favourite letter is L for love and my favourite animal is a Penguin.

  14. Abigail says

    November 18, 2016 at 6:35 pm

    My favorite letter is A and my favorite animal is a sloth.

  15. claire griffiths says

    November 20, 2016 at 1:05 am

    c an my fave animal is a cat

  16. Joshua Spiers says

    November 20, 2016 at 4:50 pm

    My favorite letter is J because it is the letter in my first name and animal is Dog because I love them!

  17. Joshua Spiers says

    November 21, 2016 at 2:44 am

    My favorite letter is J, and my favorite animal is a dog, because my boys love them!

  18. Angie McDonald says

    November 23, 2016 at 2:41 am

    I love the letter ‘A’ and my favourite animal is the Penguin!

  19. jodie a harvey says

    November 23, 2016 at 8:14 pm

    J is my favourite letter and i love owls

  20. jodie a harvey says

    November 27, 2016 at 8:45 pm

    The best photo ive ever taken is of my 6 children together 🙂

  21. Lesley F says

    November 28, 2016 at 6:07 am

    I like Foxes and the letter S

  22. MANDY DOHERTY says

    November 28, 2016 at 10:25 am

    My favourite letter is S & my favourite animal is a cat

  23. Kirsteen Mackay says

    November 28, 2016 at 8:04 pm

    My favourite letter is R and my favourite animal is a seahorse

  24. Kirsteen Mackay says

    November 28, 2016 at 8:05 pm

    The best photo I have ever taken is of my children on the beach on a nice sunny day.

  25. Nigel.rummey399@mod.uk says

    November 29, 2016 at 6:18 pm

    Favourite letter N. Favourite animal dog.

  26. Dana Lambert says

    November 30, 2016 at 9:22 pm

    My favorite letter is “L” which is my last name and my daughter’s first name initial.

    My favorite animal is a cat. 🙂

  27. Dana Lambert says

    November 30, 2016 at 9:30 pm

    I’m a photographer by trade. I have several photos I love. My favorite is of a friend’s grandchildren. The sun’s beams are gleaming down across the children’s faces. Simply beautiful.

  28. Dana Lambert says

    November 30, 2016 at 9:39 pm

    My children’s favorite will probably be Amelie Starts a Band. They love all things music!

  29. Heather Kelley says

    December 2, 2016 at 5:03 pm

    I don’t have a favorite letter, but my 7 year old loves the letter X and used to always make the letter X with anything she had on hand, and busily spot it everywhere we went! Favorite animal I suppose is a horse. I’m a photographer so I have taken SOO many pics, it’s impossible to choose one favorite, but I did recently take a picture I really love of all four of my girls with pumpkins. And I think my chocolate loving little girl would love Amelie and the chocolates,

  30. Wanda Bee says

    December 8, 2016 at 12:03 am

    Favourite letter is D and favourite animal is Dog.

  31. Richard Tyler says

    December 8, 2016 at 1:34 am

    I’ve always liked K, def.a penguin!

 
Free Language Arts Lessons
Try the World’s Best Homeschool Planner for FREE!

Popular Posts

Evan-Moor flashcards and worbooks
TOTS100 - UK Parent Blogs
TOTS100
”Top

Terms of Use

Please use our ideas in your home or school. If you wish to share a post, you may share one photo with a link to the original post; however, please do not share any photos of children, adults, or animals without prior written permission which may be obtained via an email to info@CastleViewAcademy.com

Please do not copy or duplicate a post’s instructions or recipe without written permission.

All content on this site is copyrighted and belongs to Castle View Academy/Crystal McClean 2011-2020.

· Copyright © 2015 · Castle View Academy · Site Design by: Fantastique Designs ·