Back-to-School with Super Duper Publications ~ Review & Giveaway (+Coupon Code!)

Fall is upon us and the school year is in full swing. Kaelyn is enjoying school and learning a lot. I am happy with our decision to send her to school, but still want to make sure I'm doing my part as her parent and primary teacher by giving her opportunities at home to learn and grow as well. That's why I like to have a variety of activities and games on hand to do with my kids at every age. I am always on the lookout for products like this, which is why I'm thankful for Super Duper Publications.

Super Duper Publications gives parents a variety of products to choose from for those with children who learn differently, want to augment school lessons, or who home school. Whether it's to go along with a lesson being learned in school, or something to do once the homework is done...I have found several items that I know would be perfect for my kids. 

This is a company that has been employing speech-language pathologists to make language-enhancing learning materials for kids since 1986. Pirate Talk, Grammar Gumballs and Ask and Answer Bingo are just a few of the many great language skill games available. No matter the skill that needs improving, you can browse their extensive website and online store as I have, and discover hundreds of products created by language professionals. 

As I've spent time browsing the different products, I appreciate that each game and activity lists right on the website what skills it improves, so you are sure to get the item that works best for your child. When asked if I'd like to review a few of their best sellers I was thrilled and couldn't wait to check them out!

We were sent the Pirate Talk Board Game, Ask & Answer "Wh" Bingo and MagneTalk Match-up Adventure Kit with Barrier to review.

 

Kaelyn and Kaden love to play games, so Ask & Answer "Wh" bingo stuck out to my right away. It's meant for children ages 3 & Up, so I knew it would be something they both could play and enjoy. 

The quality of the box stood out to me right away. More often than not, our game boxes end up falling apart. This however, is sturdy and durable and something I can tell will hold up to a lot of use. I appreciate this, as I know we'll have a dependable storage container for the game so we can keep everything together. 

Of course, we couldn't wait to check out the game! Upon opening the box, I was happy to find that the instructions were right on the underside of the lid. This means I don't have to keep track of a piece of paper which I love! Best of all...the instructions were easy to understand and the game is really simple. Perfect for young children!

Included in this game are 6 sets of Bingo cards...Who?, What?, When?, Where?, Why? and Combo!. It helps children learn to ask and answer "wh" questions. So, not only is it loads of fun, but also educational too! There's also question cards and Bingo chips as well.

I appreciate that this game makes it easy for teachers and parents to meet the needs of the child. First you decide which "Wh" questions are best for your student. You then pass out those boards and bingo chips for the players. It works best to have more than one person playing (Kaelyn and Kaden are usually both playing at the same time), but there have been times when Kaelyn is at school and Kaden just wants to play too. Either way, it's fun to see them learning and having fun at the same time. 

To play, the caller (usually me), draws a card and reads the question. Players guess the answer, locates the matching picture and covers it with a chip. For the "what" question for example, it might say "What do you get when you win first place?". Children look over their card and find the picture of the "trophy" and cover it with a chip. 

As I said, it's a very simple game and great for children of all ages. The "What" questions are pretty easy, while the "Why" requires higher level thinking. That's why both my 3 year old and 5 year old can easily play this together and learn something new every time!

Pirate Talk also caught our eye, as pirates are a favorite in our household...especially for my boys! Since Kaden is not in school yet, I appreciate that this game can easily be played with just one player. It's a fun one to pull out when it's just him at home. 

Best of all, it's super easy and fun too! The object of the game is to have players sail their ships around the board, stopping at each island and trying to collect the most gold coins. 

Again, teachers and parents select from a subject area that they believe is the best fit for the child/children they are working with. I like that it can be suited to the needs of each individual child. 

Once a subject area is chosen, players choose a Pirate Marker and Place it on a Home Port at the corner of the board. The player presses the electronic spinner (which is SO cool) and moves the number of spaces shown!

I then choose a card and read the item to the player while showing the picture to them. If the player lands on an island, he/she receives the number of gold coins that matches the number next to that island. Play continues until all the gold coins are gone. The coins seem to be a favorite for Kaelyn and Kaden! 

I do the "Home" cards with Kaden a lot, because those are the ones he enjoys the most. There are receptive questions and expressive questions on each. For instance, on a picture of a boy vacuuming, it says The boy is vacuuming the potato chips off the floor. There's then two questions that say "who is vacuuming" and "What is the boy vacuuming off the floor". It's very simple, but really gets the child thinking and learning.

This receptive and expressive language game is for students in grades K-5, but even my almost 4 year old enjoys i! It targets seven essential communications skills, three receptive (sentence repetition, answering questions and following directions) and four express (categorizing, inferencing, describing and social skills). I appreciate that this game can be tailored to each student's abilities and age level, and see it as one that we will be able to use for many more years! It's a lot of fun, and the Pirate theme really captures the interest of kids of all ages.

The third product we received is the MagneTalk Match-Up Adventure Kit with Barrier. What drew me to this activity kit was that it's made for such a wide age range, Pre-K - grade 5. This means that Kaelyn and Kaden can both enjoy it, and soon Caysen too! 

It's a one of a kind, magnetic masterpiece that targets a ton of language and listening skills including following directions, vocabulary, auditory memory, rhyming, categorization and more! Children have fun all while listening and using language effectively. 

The kit includes 10 game boards (two of each scene: camping, picnic, outer space, ocean and grocery store), 2-sided magnetic, dry erase tabletop easel, 100 magnetic pieces, and Reproducible activity book with CD Rom for printing.

I love to keep things organized, it helps be in my mommy balancing act a lot! So, I was thrilled when I pulled everything out of the boxes and found a great zippered pouch for the game boards and magnets, as well as a great tote to keep that, the activity book and barrier all together! LOVE IT! As a mom and former teacher, I love that Super Duper Publications has thought to help parents and teachers stay organized. 

The dry erase tabletop easel is good quality and I love that the game boards slide right in the top to keep them in place when we're using them. This is a great set up for homeschoolers and teachers who are working with one or two students at a time. 

When Kaelyn and Kaden do it together, we pick the same game board for each of them since there's two of each. I then give them the magnets that go along with that game board, which are all numbered on the back to make it easy for me. 

Using the handy activity book, I'm able to work with them on different skills in a fun way.There are lots of ideas in the book, and I appreciate that there's even a CD Rom for printing too! 

For the camping game board, for instance...there's a lesson on vocabulary where we work on receptive language and expressive language. The kids point to the correct magnets as well as tell me things about them. 

 

Using the game board, I say things to the kids like Put the fish in the stream or take the squirrel out of the tent. We work on opposites and basic concepts this way. 

There's also activities for rhyming, deductive reasoning, auditory memory and story telling, and categorizing as well for each game board. 

The kids really enjoy it, and I love that everything is laid out so nicely for me. It's been fun to see them learning while having fun at the same time. 

As with most kids, my kids love magnets. So even when I am not doing anything formal or structured with them, they enjoy choosing a game board and simply making scenes and pictures with the magnets. It's neat to see their imaginations at work. 

I really love everything about this fun kit! It's especially great for those who homeschool or are teachers in a school. The quality of this kit is top-notch and something that will hold up to a lot of use!

Overall I've been really happy with the items we received from Super Duper Publications. The kids absolutely adore these games and activities, and I appreciate that they are user-friendly and teach so many great skills...all while allowing kids to have fun. Afterall, when kids can have fun and relate to the things they're learning, it makes it a lot more meaningful to them.

Buy It: You can purchase Pirate Talk Board Game for $54.95, Ask & Answer "Wh" Bingo for $54.95, and MagneTalk Match-up Adventure Kit with Barrier for $89.94, all on the www.superduperinc.com website! 

Coupon Code: Right now A Mom's Balancing Act readers can get a special back-to-school special of 30% off storewide discount when ordering, until September 30! Simply use code: DS37FQWC

WIN It:  One very lucky reader is going to WIN a $50 Gift Card to use on the Super Duper Publications website! This way you will have the opportunity to explore the site to see the depth the depth of the product offering and the great amount of information available on each product to decide what suits your child best!

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This giveaway is open to US and Canada!