What We Are Loving: National Geographic Kids

 Disclaimer: I received books to review. All opinions are my own. 

What do we love in my house? Books! What kind? Educational, especially books from National Geographic Kids. 

My kids always get Nat Geo Kids books for their birthdays, Christmas, and any other event I can find to gift them. Tbomb especially loves the Kids World Atlas and gets a new one each year. Snapper loves any book with maps. 

The following are great for adventures, school, and even planning trips. Dive in and I'm sure you will find something your kids will love.

National Geographic Kids National Parks Guide U.S.A.

"....a fantastic tour of parks and preserves across the United States, with striking full-color photography of natural scenes or wildlife on almost every page" - Midwest Book Review 

If you're trying to decide which of our country's amazing national parks to visit, NG Kids, together with the National Park Trust, has created National Parks Guide U.S.A. Broken down into regions of the country, this handy guide has all you need to make your visit to these treasured parks an experience your family will never forget.   Filled with color photos, information on animals, fascinating lists, fun facts, maps, cool things to do, conservation tips, and much more -- think of this book as your trusted guide to these most majestic of places.

National Geographic Kids Ultimate Road Trip Atlas

The Ultimate U.S. Road Trip Atlas contains maps, games, interesting facts, vibrant pictures of everything from wacky road signs to national monuments, and boredom busters (who can spot the wackiest road sign??) to make your next journey an adventure to remember. Every state is featured and includes a map of the state, 5 cool things to do there, fun facts about the state and the animals that live there and even quirky roadside attractions. And, in case this comes in handy, helpful traffic laws you won't believe (who knew you couldn't drive any skunks INTO Tennessee??).

125 Wacky Roadside Attractions

"A delight that will have travelers young and old poring over the pages and planning offbeat excursions." — Booklist

 

See the silly side of travel as you explore the wackiest landmarks from around the world -- a place where you can walk in real dinosaur tracks, a hotel where you sleep in an igloo, a crazy beard festival, a UFO museum, and so much more. You won't believe our world is full of so many bizarre and wonderful places!

National Geographic Kids Almanac 2022

"...this gathering of upbeat, vividly illustrated, browser-friendly dips into topics ranging from black holes to blue-footed boobies to Bolivian street food is hard to put down, and the pop quizzes and research guides at each chapter’s end will give studious sorts a leg up, too." - Kirkus

Part trip planner, part boredom buster, the latest installment of the New York Times best-selling almanac is perfect for curious kids who want to learn all about the world and everything that's in it. The Almanac 2022 features amazing animal stories, explorer profiles, and outrageous attractions that kids know and love, plus tons of info on exoctic locales, fascinating cultures and an entire section on travel in the U.S. and abroad. Loaded with fascinating features about animals, science, nature, technology, and conservation, this book is the number one selling kids almanac on the planet.  There's a whole chapter full of fun and games, including activities, jokes, and comics and the colorful compilation also includes an Almanac Challenge 2022 — which inspires kids to reduce their plastic waste.  

More Surprising Stories Behind Everyday Stuff

Ever wonder how haunted houses got their spooky rep; where cheese originally came from; and when and where people decided hitting a tiny ball with a long stick (ahem, golf?) was their idea of fun? Prepare to be amazed by the surprising backstories behind the things you use or do every day! From familiar foods and common clothing items to bizarre beauty regimens and quirky products, this book covers all your burning questions: Who thought of that? Where did that come from? Why is that a thing?   This riveting little treasure is jam-packed with awesome facts, fun stories, and colorful visuals. Once you know all this cool stuff about the origins of everyday stuff, you can "wow" your friends and family.

Other books you should definitely check out:

Dinopedia

Kids' World Atlas

Kids' Joke book 

 

 

 

Getting It Off My Chest

 Hi, 

Today, I just want to write a letter. I don't really feel the need to explain the reasoning behind the decisions I make. What I feel the need to do is to open some people's eyes so they can realize that everything is not black and white. 

First, a little bit of a back story. 

I caught measles from the vaccination. I have not had the chickenpox vaccine, yet I've never had them. My brothers have had the chickenpox vaccine- one brother had chickenpox, the other has Shingles AT THE AGE OF 6. 

My son has ITP, which basically means that if his immune system is activated (even by allergies), there is a chance that his antibodies will act up and start killing his platelets, which could make a simple injury severe. When we caught it, his levels were at 1, and should have been between 150 and 300. He cannot have the typical meds because he's allergic, so he has to have steroids for treatment, which is an immunosuppressant. He's considered chronic because of how low his levels were and because it took 6 months to get him to 200. 

My daughter has many health problems. She has asthma, stomach issues, an immune deficiency, and is very prone to ear infections. She also catches everything and takes forever to get over it. Because of this, we had to pull her from public school, although she was getting vital therapies. She was missing 1/3 of the school days from being sick. Another thing with her is that she has had vaccine-related injuries and because we've opted to not vaccinate, I was actually bullied at the Dr's office by a nurse. Excuse me, but I saw what one vaccine did to her with lasting effects, I'm not interested in playing roulette with her future. 

This leads us to the pandemic. We have stayed at home for their and my family members' health. We have worn masks. We have put our lives on hold while we watch everyone going on vacation, having parties, and going out to eat. Now, those same people are telling me to get a TRIAL vaccine for their safety and their kids' safety, yet they were not willing to stay at home for my kids' safety. 

These people are pushing vaccine mandates even though it is not a fully proven safe vaccination. 

Guess what?!?! No! Vaccines are not safe for everyone. If you want it, fine, but leave me and mine alone. If you are worried, keep your butt at home like you were supposed to in the beginning. 

Another thing, you were not willing to keep your kid at home when they were sick for my kids' health and the health of her cancer-patient grandmother. Newsflash, you sending your sick kid to school could have killed my MIL and could have put my daughter in the hospital, if not worse. 

Now, you want to say get a vaccine for the greater good? NO!