Challenge & Fun

"I Cherish Planet Earth" Meets Charlie Hope!

You can listen to more of Charlie Hopes lullaby's on myspace, and see the artwork for I Cherish Planet Earth on our flickr page.

Stay tuned also for announcements about Charlie Hope's upcoming northeast concert tour August 28-Sept 15th.  She will be performing at two music festivals and returning to many of the stores that hosted her in early July, as well as performing in New York & Connecticut.  We will also be working to get concerts set-up in southern California, where she now resides.

This Week's Prize: I Cherish Planet Earth

This week's prize giveaway on our Facebook fan page is the I Cherish Planet Earth green game & book set.

I Cherish Planet Earth is much more than simply a book or a game.  The book introduces children to our multi-faceted natural world.  It introduces 24 different nature & earth loving affirmations such as “I love the forest” “I honor all animals” “I conserve water” “I grow a garden” etc.  Each affirmation is lovingly described alongside soft, beautiful pictures that bot h engage and delight.

Included as a companion to the book, is a small sachet with 24 pairs of beautifully illustrated tiles reinforcing each affirmation.  If fact, that is a key element that separates this game from other classic memory or pair matching games.  According to the creator, Margot Losa “I remember so clearly, the morning I drove my daughter to school, when the idea came to me like a flash, to recreate the classic game with affirmations (never before done as far as I know) and that it should be meaningful, about going green and about mother earth!

Indeed, I have seen this first hand.  As I have read the book with my children, then played the memory game with my children, I can see them relating with each concept as they turn over one tile and we read “I conserve the water”, then another tile and we read “I protect the delicate” etc.

However, what really gives these affirmations, and the entire book for that matter, meaning and soul is the beautiful illustrations by Emily Kea that accompany each affirmation.  

This truly is a teaching tool that lends itself to so much more than simply reading a book or playing a game.  It comes with a number of suggested extensions for engaging children further, whether in a classroom or at home.  These include:

-                   Sharpening memory: Take a game piece, look at it for 30 seconds, close your eyes, bringing back the picture in your mind.  Now tell all the different things you remember.

-                   What is happening? Make up stories & skits based on any of the pictures;

-                   What does it mean? Look up the meaning of terms such as cherish, respect, honor, value, etc.;

-                   Discussion time: At the end of the game have each player look at the matching pairs they have collected and discuss their meaning.  Talk about how we are a part of nature and how it sustains us.

-                   Take action: Discuss different ideas and decide the Earth-friendly changes you can make and commit to in your life, home and neighborhood.

The picture book helps build meaningful understanding, while the memory game reinforces those ideas. The game extensions broaden thee are well considered and offer the opportunity for communication, creative self-expression, and action.

This activity set is about appreciating and preserving nature and our planet. It inspires all to learn about and care for all life, from the tiniest flower to the greatest forest. It is a natural addition to any go-green program, at home, in the neighborhood, at school, or within the community.

Of course I Cherish Planet Earth is printed in the USA using vegetable oil based inks on recycled paper.  It is produced by FocusBloom which is a member of 1% for the planet.

I can go on an on, but of course I am a little biased.  Let's see what others have been saying:

I Cherish Planet Earth gives a lot of bang for your bucks! Everything together in one small package offers more than a book or game or affirmations separately. This layering affects different areas of the brain, so you end up not just learning about something but having an experience!

-Annie McCandlis, School Principal

My fourth graders and I spent over two hours discussing the affirmations and images on each card - and we didn't even get through half of them in that time!

-Kris Hemion, Teacher

How wonderful this story is! It's truly amazing and the artwork compliments this perfectly. I honestly get the chills reading through this book.

-Michelle Pugh, Graphic Designer

Other Details:

Size: 7¼ x 9½”
Wt: 6.1 oz
No. Pgs: 32
Retail price: 16.95

BUY NOW!

Perhaps the Best Train Song Out There?

This video features model trains from the Marklin booth in Nurnberg, as well as model (and real) trains in Thailand.  If you like the music you can hear more on cdbaby.  Charlie just finished a successful concert tour at children's stores across Massachusetts, finishing at the railway themed amusement park Edaville USA. 

We are now planning a concerts in southern California and a second trip to Massachusetts at the end of next month.

And the Winner is....

A couple of weeks ago we promised to send out an autographed CD to someone that made a comment on the blog about the "I'm Me!" CD, joined the Charlie Hope Facebook Fan page, or made the most comments on Twitter.  We didn't have much in the way of Twitter activity, but we do have the following winners:

-"Kayce" won an autographed CD for leaving a comment.
- Justin Law won an autographed CD for being a Charlie Hope Facebook Fan

Did you find out too late?  Don't worry, we are giving out another signed CD July 15th to a lucky Challenge & Fun Fan Page member.  Not only that, but by being a fan you will be the first to see new products, and have chances to win all sorts of other great stuff!