MommyMaestra’s
Holiday Gift Guide 2014 Holiday Season
MommyMaestra.com
My website, MommyMaestra.com, is an educational website for Latino families and educators. I am a Latina homeschooling mami who believes every child deserves a great education and that parental involvement is critical for our children’s success. The MommyMaestra 2014 Holiday Gift Guide features hand-picked products for your familia. This year, I’m so pleased to have partnered with Mommy Maestra contributor, Betty Galvan of My Friend Betty Says and Melanie Edwards of ModernMami to find products to help your children learn and strengthen their academic skills through fun - but educational - games, toys, books, and other entertainment. Children who have fun learning are more likely to remember and master skills that are important for academic success. Let’s make learning fun! Happy holidays from all of us!
Un abrazo, Monica Olivera
Monica
Betty
Melanie
Disclosure: This gift guide contains affiliate links. Purchases made through these links help us continue our work and take care of our families.
Children 4 and younger
Children 4 and younger Lil’ Libros LilLibros.com, $10 These adorable little board books are perfect for “lil’ hands!” Beautifully illustrated and rich with culture, these books help your little one learn valuable skills such as counting, colors, and first words. A must-have for all Latino family libraries. Available in English & Spanish.
Building Blocks “Cordoba” Amazon, $40 Stimulate your child’s imagination and build their finemotor skills with this lovely set of building blocks by HABA. This 16-piece set is made with PEFC Certified beechwood timbers stained with non-toxic water based stain so wood grain shows through.
Playmobile® Three Wise Kings Amazon, $14 A wonderful little gift for Christmas or Día de los Reyes, this play set features all three kings plus their camel and gifts of frankincense, gold, and myrrh.
Hardwood Fun-Fresh Market Stall Amazon, $160 (+ free shipping) How much fun would this grocery stall be? Encourage imaginative play with this sturdy hardwood market that will be a daily destination for little shoppers. It features lots of open shelving, a chalkboard marquee for posting specials and a roomy 20" countertop. (Fruit and cash register sold separately.)
= Bilingual/Spanish products
MommyMaestra’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide
Children 4 and younger
Alphabet Alligator Amazon, $20 Teach your child letter recognition with this super cute puzzle that features a friendly alligator with 26 removable, knobbed pieces that will only fit back in correct alphabetical order. The best part is that under each piece is the corresponding lowercase letter!
$89.95
Baby Abuelita Rosa Amazon, $19 Your babies will love Abuelita Rosa as she sings traditional Spanish lullabies and nursery rhymes such as Arroz con leche and Duérmete mi niña. Just press her hand to hear a song. She comes with lyrics in Spanish and English. Recommended for ages 2 and up
Chicco Talking Farm Amazon, $34 This interactive toy teaches important preschool skills such as counting to 10 and color recognition, as well as animal names and sounds in both English and Spanish.
Dream a Little, Sueña un poquito CD NathaliaMusic, $11.99 This truly bilingual album for children is an absolute delight. You’ll recognize the rhythms of Rock to Cumbia to Reggaeton. The album will take you on all new adventures, like cruising down the Amazon River and blasting off into outer space!
= Bilingual/Spanish products
MommyMaestra’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide
Children 4 and younger
Set of Build-A-Saurus Dinos
LeapFrog Read with Me Scout Toy
Amazon, $30
Amazon.com, $25
Created with jointed legs and arms, dorsal fins, heads, and tails that easily connect. Both Brontosaurus and Stegosaurus have interchangeable plastic parts making it fun to invent new species.
This cute puppy will double as a stuffed friend and reading pal. Scout comes with 5 board books that he reads from, while also engaging your child with questions related to each story! Plus, when it’s nap time, Scout will play lullabies and sing!
Uncle Goose Wood Baby Blocks in Spanish Amazon, $34 Introduce your bebé to the letter of the Spanish alphabet with this lovely set of wooden alphabet blocks. This 28 block Spanish language set, featuring letters, numbers, and animal pictures. It is made from sustainable Michigan basswood, and is entirely en Español. $15.95
Magna-Tiles® Clear Colors 32-Piece Set Amazon, $52 These tactile, colorful translucent Magna-Tiles® are sized just right and easy to use, whether creating designs on a flat surface or building in 3-D. Basic shapes are learned through play and they develop patterning, shape recognition, building and motor skills. = Bilingual/Spanish products
MommyMaestra’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide
Kids 5 to 12 years old
Kids 5 to 12 years old
Sew Cool Sewing Machine Walmart, $29.97 Using a threadless system, the Sew Cool Sewing Machine is great for learning how to sew! You can feel confident letting your child sew without the risk of injury and kids will love the fun patterns and designs that come with the kit!
Make Your Own Chewing Gum Kit
Minecraft: Essential Handbook
Glee Gum, $14
Amazon, $5
Learn the history behind chewing gum as you follow Eduardo, a chiclero from Guatemala. Read about how he taps Sapodilla trees and makes chicle, then create your own using the products inside!
An introductory book for Minecraft beginners. Learn how to find resources; make a shelter; craft tools, armor, and weapons; and protect yourself from monsters. With tips from Minecraft experts, this is the best guide to surviving your first few days in Minecraft.
The Zoob Challenge Kit
$15.95
Amazon, $31 The Zoob Challenge is the ultimate build-it-yourself toy. The pieces from this kit can be used to solve 25 STEM challenges. You can build adjustable robots, vehicles, and launchers. The 175- piece set includes string, rubber bands, wheels, a foam play pad, and a ball. Click, pop, and snap your way to solutions!
= Bilingual/Spanish products
MommyMaestra’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide
Kids 5 to 12 years old
Spirograph Deluxe Design Set
Green Kid Crafts
Amazon, $23
GreenKidCrafts.com, $18-20
I’ve ordered this for my own kids because I know they’ll have hours of fun creating intricate designs with this 45piece deluxe set!
Time for another monthly subscription! But this one is for amazing craft kits that nurture your child’s inner scientist and artist.
Edu Science Quick-Switch Microscope Amazon, $38 Help your child explore her world with this awesome little microscope that turns into a viewer with just one turn. Accessories include: prepared slides, blank slides, slide covers and labels, collecting vials, and more!
LEGO Fusion Set #21204 Town Master
$15.95
Amazon, $49 Keep your mini citizens happy by building shops, restaurants and more with real LEGO bricks then bringing it all to virtual life! Introducing LEGO FUSION a fun and creative way of combining real LEGO brick building with your smartphone or tablet. = Bilingual/Spanish products
MommyMaestra’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide
Kids 5 to 12 years old
DNA Experiment Kit Amazon.com, $16 Mixing Science with fun, this DNA Experiment Kit is great for encouraging a love of STEM fields with children. Kids can extract DNA from fruit, solve puzzles, and explore biology, all while playing! Be sure to check out other ScienceWiz kits - all would make a wonderful gift!
Hispanic Heritage Reading Kits Latinas4LatinoLit.org, $9.95-29.95 Created to celebrate the contributions of Hispanics to American culture, these reading kits are geared for children in kindergarten through 4th grade. Each reading kit comes with a book, activity booklet, folder, and pencil.
Little Passports Little Passports, $11.95/month Beginning with a box full of expedition materials, Little Passports will take your children on a learning adventure to two new states (USA edition) or a new country (World edition) every month.
= Bilingual/Spanish products
MommyMaestra’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide
Teens Kids 7 13 toto 1218 years yearsold old
Kids 13 to 18 years old
Bose® - SoundTrue™ Around-Ear Headphones Best Buy, $150 Listen to tunes, work online, take a course... your teen can do all this and more with this set of headphones by one of the best brands in audio equipment.
Library of Classics: 100 Audio Books Enjoy the Classics, $99 This Library of Classics Collection includes a personal MP3 player preloaded with 100 classics in audio format, headphones, adapter for listening in the car, A/C adapter, plus a bonus gift of 50 Greatest Classical Music$15.95 Performances.
Studio Designs Cascade Magnetic Drafting Station Overstock.com, $156 If you have an engineer, crafter, or artist at home, this draft table offers a spacious desk top and plentiful storage facilities for all of their supplies. The magnetic table top features six angle adjustments from 0 to 30 degrees. The desk also has a 2inch deep pencil ledge and four removable art trays for supplies.
= Bilingual/Spanish products
MommyMaestra’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide
Kids 13 to 18 years old
iPod Touch Best Buy, $180 - $285 If your child is begging for a smartphone to access apps and music, but you aren’t ready to commit to another phone line just yet, then perhaps an iPod Touch is the best way for you to go! The iPod Touch is like having an iPhone without the phone, but users can still use apps like Facetime and even text using iMessage.
Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity Sleep Band Walmart, $99.95 Teens that are health-conscious will love this sleek activity band! Teens can track their daily activity, sleep cycle, and even get help waking up with the Fitbit’s silent alarm. The Fitbit Flex is slim, water resistant, and connects to mobile phones via Bluetooth, making it an all-around great investment!
Star Wars Gingerbread Cookie Cutters Think Geek, $15 Don’t miss this set of 6 Star Wars-themed cookie cutters! The set includes cutters for Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Chewbacca, Yoda, C-3PO, and a Stormtrooper. Cut the dough with one side, then flip the cutter to stamp the design onto the cookie.
= Bilingual/Spanish products
MommyMaestra’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide